The Most Important Blog... Ever

By Erik Love 

One of the greatest accomplishments of the American right wing has been the demonization of labor unions.  Reagan's revolution has been so effective that even many people who are otherwise progressive can often be heard discussing the obsolescence of unions.  "They were important at one time," the story goes, but today unions are part of the problem instead of part of the solution.  A number of myths are cited as evidence for the idea that unions are no longer needed, including the popular notion that  the primary purpose of unions (clearing up dangerous working conditions) has already been served now that we've got strong worker protections written into law.

This myth - that employers simply can no longer get away with unsafe working conditions - is laughable, especially if you've taken a look at the exposé on the lack of workplace safety in the New York Times right now.  The idea that workplace safety is well-regulated by an impartial government hinges on the effectiveness of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).  Since OSHA's inception in 1970, its track record in providing rigorous oversight of private industry to ensure the constant protection of workers has been spotty at best.

The establishment of OSHA (and the advent of workers' compensation laws among other protections) was an important victory for the labor movement, to be sure, but with openly pro-business and anti-labor administrations from Reagan and the Bushes, the agency has been far from impartial in enforcing safety regulations.  Without unbiased arbitration, workers remain all too susceptible to careless or unscrupulous employers.

According to the New York Times piece, under George W. Bush, OSHA has been greatly and intentionally weakened.  Bush's OSHA has "issued the fewest significant standards in its history."  For example, even though OSHA research noted that silica dust causes lung cancer, the Bush Administration has not put any new requirements in place to ensure that workers aren't exposed to the harmful chemical.  Rather than set standards to take the most safety-conscious route in regulating silica dust and other dangerous chemicals like diacetyl (a food additive), the director of OSHA has insisted that "the science is murky" on whether these chemicals actually cause disease.  Since no standards have been put in place by OSHA, companies are able to use their own judgment as to how they should protect their employees.  The statistics show this isn't a good system for protecting workers - in California, the number of fatalities due to on-the-job exposure to harmful substances or environments increased from 35 in 2003 to 51 in 2005 (the latest figures available).  The nationwide statistics don't look much better, they show significant increases in deaths due to exposure.

The best safety guarantee is a strong union.  Then, there's no need to rely on "impartial" government oversight - a collectively bargained contract will require management to provide a safe working environment even if OSHA continues to fail to do its job.

Labels: From The Courage Campaign, Politics