We’re hearing more and more about a post-pandemic new normal. But unless we, as a nation, take stronger actions to protect workers, the new normal won’t be different from the old one, with the most vulnerable workers still at the most risk of injury and death.
MSHA head accused of illegal undermining of mine safety rules; Farm Bill provision could create a huge safety loophole for chemical facilities; hourly workers face hard choices in hurricane evacuations; and labor unions see big bump in millennial membership.
Teachers continue their fight for living wages and fair working conditions; new study sheds light on the working environments of miners with black lung disease; more than 200 delivery drivers sue Amazon for unpaid wages; and McDonald’s workers vote to strike next week over sexual harassment.
Labor Rights
Senator asks Supreme Court nominee “What’s the dirtiest, hardiest job you ever did in your life?”
Harsh working conditions in meatpacking plants set the scene for questions by Senator Dick Durbin of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
The Trump administration is pulling back worker safety efforts at nuclear weapons facilities; employers indicted in 2015 railcar explosion in Nebraska that killed two workers; a federal judge rebukes Trump’s efforts to make it easier to fire federal workers; and Bernie Sanders calls on Amazon warehouse workers to share their stories of low pay and harmful working conditions.
Hurricane Harvey recovery workers report rampant wage theft; appeals court rules the Trump administration must stop delaying a chemical plant safety rule; New York City approves new measures to address ride-sharing wages; and San Antonio becomes the second Texas city to pass a sick leave ordinance.
The agenda for the Immigrant Worker Center’s recent leadership training session in Boston was straight-forward enough — a presentation on the economy and public policy. Then, a woman from El Salvador began to cry.
Firefighters struggle with considerable mental health tolls, face high suicide rates; Vermont dairy farm workers report improvements after Milk With Dignity agreement; unions win big wage boost for Disneyland Resort workers; and Vox offers a new tool to search which employers require mandatory arbitration.
A new Kentucky law will likely make it harder for miners to access black lung benefits; hundreds of organizations and individuals petition OSHA to develop a heat exposure standard; one of the world’s largest asbestos sellers starts stamping its products with Donald Trump’s face; and a new study finds corporate tax cuts don’t boost worker wages.
Firefighter in charge of worker safety at ground zero dies from blood cancer; whistleblowers at the Department of Veterans Affairs chronicle retaliation and abuse; Oregon adopts new pesticide safety rules for farmworkers; and Massachusetts celebrates passages of $15 minimum wage and paid leave.