Protect America's Workers
Protect America's workers Protect America's Workers
The 100th anniversary of a seminal report on worker safety calls for a renewed commitment
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Mid-Week Perspectives
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

By Donna Puleio Spadaro

Workers Memorial Day 2007, a day to remember those who have suffered and died on the job and to renew the fight for safe workplaces, will be observed by the Allegheny County Labor Council at noon on Monday in Market Square.

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This ceremony also will commemorate the 100th anniversary of The Pittsburgh Survey (1907-1908), the pioneering work of Crystal Eastman and others which investigated the horrendous living conditions of Pittsburgh's working class as the 19th century began.

Ms. Eastman, founder of the Women's International League of Peace and Freedom and co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union, came to Pittsburgh 100 years ago to explore labor conditions. Her report, Work Accidents and the Law, cataloged 526 workplace deaths in a single year in Allegheny County and highlighted the inadequacy of worker protection and compensation. The report was one of a six-volume series that is known collectively as The Pittsburgh Survey, which examined life and labor in what was then America's fifth largest city, home to a massive exploited immigrant labor force.

The progressive reforms this series called for were hindered by the oppressive power of Pittsburgh's industrialists and its political machine. Unfortunately, while workers may not be dying in such dramatic numbers 100 years later, they still face many dangers at work and obstacles to achieving a safe workplace.

The Bush administration, acting on behalf of corporate interests, has moved to roll back and weaken worker protections. It has the worst record on safety rules in the history of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, issuing no new significant rules during its first term.

In 2006, in part because of the Sago Mine disaster, the number of coal-mine deaths doubled from the previous year, with 47 coal miners killed on the job. After withdrawing dozens of needed mine-safety rules that were under development in 2001, the Bush administration now is being compelled to issue stronger protections. Since President Bush took office, there have been repeated attempts to slash funding for OSHA, the Mine Safety and Health Administration and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Since 2001, OSHA's budget has been cut by $25.4 million.

OSHA lacks the resources to protect the 100 million workers under its jurisdiction. With only 900 inspectors, it would take 110 years for OSHA to visit every work site it is supposed to oversee. The number of hours spent per OSHA inspection continues to decrease and the number of cases downgraded to less-serious violations is rising. Penalties for serious violations remain low and are routinely reduced through a process called abatement.

Even the killing of a worker through the "willful" violation of a safety law is a misdemeanor, with a maximum sentence of six months in jail. In the 20 years between 1982 and 2002, only 1,700 out of 170,000 workplace fatalities were deemed "willful." OSHA declined to seek prosecution in 93 percent of these cases, and fewer than 20 "willful" violators were imprisoned.

Each year in this country, more than 5,000 workers are killed and 4.2 million injured on the job. Another 50,000 die due to something to which they are exposed at work. American workers need OSHA and MSHA to protect their health and safety instead of protecting corporate interests.

Crystal Eastman's pioneering work in Allegheny County 100 years ago was an important landmark in the ongoing struggle for a decent workplace. Workers' Memorial Day 2007 will celebrate her important contribution to workplace safety, honor those who have lost their lives while on the job in Western Pennsylvania and promote the health and safety of all workers.
Donna Puleio Spadaro is an oncologist Her brother, Gary Puleio, was killed after falling 25 feet from a concrete tower at Meadville Redi-Mix in 2001. The company paid a $6,000 fine


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