Workers' Memorial Day 2008 Pittsburgh

On April 28, Workers Memorial Day is observed to remember those who have suffered and died on the job and to renew the fight for safe workplaces. Workers' Memorial Day 2008 was held Monday 4/28/2008 in Market Square Pittsburgh from noon to 1PM. Pittsburgh is celebrating its 250th anniversary and Workers’ Memorial Day honored the thousands of workers who died on the job building this city. This event was organized by the Allegheny County Labor Council (AFL-CIO) , the Labor and Religion Coalition and the USW. Prior to the event the Crystal Eastman State Historical Marker was dedicated.

: Keep America's Workers Safe

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Working Families e-Activist Network

To: Donna Puleio (spadaro)

Sent: Monday, April 28, 2008 2:18 PM

Subject: Keep America's Workers Safe

Dear Donna, Today is Workers Memorial Day—a day to honor workers killed and injured on the job. Every year, thousands of workers are killed and millions more are hurt or become sick because of their work. It's long past time for workplace protections to be updated and strengthened for the 21st century. We need Congress and the next president to put the safety and lives of workers first. Tell your senators and representative to act now and pass the Protecting America's Workers Act today. Click here. To learn more about Workers Memorial Day, click here. And read the 17th edition of our "Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect" report here. Workers and safety advocates from around the world today are observing Workers Memorial Day to honor the thousands of workers who are killed or hurt on the job each year.   Workers, union activists, religious and community leaders and elected officials are expected to take part in more than 10,000 memorial services, rallies and marches to remember these workers on April 28, Workers Memorial Day. Decades of struggle by workers and their unions have resulted in significant improvements in working conditions. But the toll of workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths remains enormous. Each year, thousands of workers are killed and millions more are injured or diseased because of their jobs. These disasters hit home. Tammy Miser, whose brother Shawn was killed in 2003 in a combustible dust explosion in Huntington, Ind., criticized the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for seeking voluntarily--rather than mandatory--safety compliance: We know that it's feasible to prevent these explosions. And it is beyond negligent to expect a company that knows about these hazards to voluntarily comply, instead of making it a requirement. You can do something to help. Click here to tell your senators and representative to support the Protecting America's Workers Act (S. 1244 and H.R. 2049). The bill would expand OSHA protections to millions of uncovered workers, enhance whistleblower protections and substantially increase penalties for serious, willful and criminal safety violations. More than three decades ago, Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act, promising every worker the right to a safe job. But the Bush administration has ignored the need for updated safety and health protections. Administration officials have allowed their corporate allies to police themselves.  We have our work cut out for us this year. In the fall, working families will need to work hard to elect a Congress and a president who will put the lives of workers first, restore enforcement staffs and budgets, and put some teeth back into our laws. We need to do more than simply trust employers who want to increase their profits at the expense of workers and their families. Please act now to tell your senators and representative to support the Protecting America's Workers Act. Workers are still being killed on the job, but employers who are found to have violated federal safety laws in fatality cases are paying as little as $750 in penalties for each death, according to the latest edition of the AFL-CIO's annual report "Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect." The 17th edition of the national and state-by-state analyses on worker safety and health reveals that 5,840 workers died from workplace injuries in 2006, compared with 5,734 in 2005. The figures show a continued and significant increase in fatalities among Latino and foreign-born workers. (The year 2006 is the most recent year for which U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures are available.) The AFL-CIO report shows that 16 workers were fatally injured and more than 11,200 were hurt or made sick each day in 2006. And the price workers pay for toiling in dangerous jobs climbs even higher when the tally includes the 50,000 to 60,000 workers who die every year from occupational diseases. Help fulfill the promise of a safe workplace for millions of workers. Tell your senators and representative to pass the Protecting America's Workers Act today. each year. In solidarity, Working Families e-Activist Network, AFL-CIO P.S.  Please tell your friends to take action for worker protections.                                      Click the link below to tell your friends to fight to protect America's workers.  Tell-a-friend! If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for Working Families e-Activist Network. If you would like to unsubscribe from the e-Activist Network, or update your account settings, please visit your subscription management page.

Charlotte Observer | 04/23/2008 | Senators want OSHA's injury reports probed

Charlotte Observer | 04/23/2008 | Senators want OSHA's injury reports probed

AFL-CIO Weblog | ‘Death on the Job’ Report: More Workers Killed, Fewer Employer Penalties

AFL-CIO Weblog | ‘Death on the Job’ Report: More Workers Killed, Fewer Employer Penalties
More workers are being killed on the job, but employers who are found to have violated federal safety laws in fatality cases are paying as little as $750 in penalties for each death, according to the latest edition of the AFL-CIO’s annual report Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect.

Released today, the 17th edition of the national and state-by-state profiles on worker safety and health in the United States reveals that in 2006, 5,840 workers died from workplace injuries, compared with 5,734 in 2005. The figures show a continued and significant increase in fatalities among Latino and foreign-born workers. The year 2006 is the most recent year for which U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures are available.

The report shows that each day in 2006, 16 workers were fatally injured on the job and more than 11,200 were hurt or made sick. But the price workers pay for toiling in dangerous jobs climbs even higher when the tally includes the 50,000 to 60,000 workers who die every year from occupational diseases.

The report was released in conjunction with Workers Memorial Day, April 28, a day set aside every year to honor workers killed and hurt on the job and highlight the need for improved job safety standards.

Workers Memorial Day Pittsburgh Part 2

On April 28, Workers Memorial Day is observed to remember those who have suffered and died on the job and to renew the fight for safe workplaces. Workers' Memorial Day 2008 will be held Monday 4/28/2008 in Market Square Pittsburgh from noon to 1PM. Pittsburgh will be celebrating its 250th anniversary and we will reflect on the thousands of workers who died on the job building this city. This event , organized by the Allegheny County Labor Council (AFL-CIO) , the Labor and Religion Coalition and the USW, is handicapped accessed. Contact info 412-999-7598

Elaine Chao: Isn't that something?

Shame On Elaine Chao

Shame On Elaine Chao

Shame on Elaine » All you need to know about Elaine Chao



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 12, 2008
9:22 AM

CONTACT: American Rights At Work
Josh Goldstein 202-822-2127 x118
954-254-4900 (Cell) jgoldstein@americanrightsatwork.org


Campaign Exposes Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao's Corporate Ties and Record of Failings
American Rights at Work Demands Accountability and Immediate Change of Course

NEW YORK - February 12 - American Rights at Work today launched an unprecedented web-based campaign highlighting the numerous failures of Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao, President Bush's longest-serving cabinet member. Through http://ShameOnElaine.org, the public will get a glimpse of the egregious policies Chao has inflicted on America's workers, including her rollbacks of critical mine safety protections, hostility toward workers and their unions, and collaboration with corporate interests, most notably through her husband, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).


"Elaine Chao's family connections and corporate ties have transformed the Department of Labor into the 'Department of Business,'" said Mary Beth Maxwell, Executive Director of American Rights at Work. "From littering the Labor Department with individuals holding a blatant corporate agenda to jeopardizing the health and safety of workers across America, Chao has undermined the role of the very agency she's supposed to manage."

Engaging hundreds of thousands of online activists, bloggers, and workers' rights advocates, American Rights at Work is increasing pressure on Chao to reverse course during her remaining year as Secretary of Labor while informing the public of the numerous actions she's taken on behalf of corporate interests and against workers.

"This is a classic case of a fox guarding the henhouse. Unlike her cohorts in the Bush administration, Chao has escaped much-needed public scrutiny of her record. Elaine Chao's long honeymoon is over as we are taking her to task on a wide range of issues and policies she's supported to the detriment of America's workers," said Maxwell.

As the administration enters its final year, American Rights at Work will demand accountability from Chao and help raise the standards necessary for the next Secretary of Labor. The campaign will run through the remainder of Chao's tenure, giving Americans a unique opportunity to weigh in online and participate in the debate surrounding her legacy.

For more information, visit http://ShameOnElaine.org.

American Rights at Work is a leading labor policy and advocacy organization dedicated to educating the American public about the barriers that workers face when they attempt to exercise their rights to freely and fairly form unions and engage in collective bargaining.
###

Gary Puleio Retrospective 4/13/1948 -- 8/15/2001

Gary Puleio (4/13/1948—8/15/2001) http://garypuleio.blogspot.com was killed at Meadville Redi-Mix Concrete, where he had been employed only 3 months as a non union cement truck driver. He fell 25 feet while shoveling gravel off a hopper at the top of a concrete t tower. The company claimed he “just wandered up there on his own” not wearing any safety equipment at the end of his driving shift rather than being assigned this dangerous task. OSHA accepted this implausible excuse and after admitting NO wrongdoing Redi-Mix paid a $6000 fine for REPEAT violations for not posting signs at a confined space. Redi-Mix had multiple serious violations issued only months before Gary was killed which were informally settled with reduced fines. This video is a tribute to a fine man whose life was brutally taken due to unsafe working conditions, lack of corporate accountability and an inadequate regulatory system

‘Undue Influence’ at Crandall Canyon? - New York Times

‘Undue Influence’ at Crandall Canyon? - New York Times




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 4, 2008
Editorial
‘Undue Influence’ at Crandall Canyon?
The tales of regulatory negligence by the Bush administration never seem to end. An investigation into the death of six coal miners and three would-be rescuers last summer in Utah faults the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration for failing to properly oversee the high-risk mining technique that led to the collapse of the Crandall Canyon Mine.

The finding, by the Labor Department’s inspector general, presents a stark warning of possible future disasters now that the coal industry is booming. Companies are increasingly turning to the riskier production methods used at Crandall Canyon — techniques that demand more aggressive vigilance to ensure miners’ safety.

The mine agency lacked a rigorous oversight plan required by law to monitor roof safety at Crandall Canyon as workers there conducted “retreat mining” — winnowing coal pillars bracing the mine ceiling — to extract as much coal as possible. Mining-induced seismic jolts eventually obliterated these supports.

The Bush administration’s patronage-driven penchant for appointing industry executives to regulate their own industry is well known. So are the costs. In the Crandall Canyon investigation, the inspector general pointedly questioned whether the mine agency was “free from undue influence by the mine operator.”

The finding is yet another reason why Congress must urgently pass a mine safety bill that would mandate more stringent oversight of retreat mining and other needed reforms. The bill has been approved by the House. The Senate’s companion measure must not be delayed by pro-industry lawmakers willing to put more lives at risk for the sake of Big Coal’s bottom line.



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All Spin Zone » Bush’s MSHA Cited for Negligence, Run by Recess Appointee

All Spin Zone » Bush’s MSHA Cited for Negligence, Run by Recess Appointee

Agency Faulted on Protection at Utah Mine - New York Times

Agency Faulted on Protection at Utah Mine - New York Times