In March, the USW, along with many other unions, demanded that OSHA implement an emergency, temporary infectious disease standard that would specify the steps employers must take to keep workers safe amidst the coronavirus outbreak. Unfortunately, the Secretary of Labor refused.
The AFL-CIO took this demand one step further and filed an emergency petition yesterday, May 18, to compel the Labor Department to issue an emergency temporary standard that would offer stronger protection for U.S. workers.
The suit asks the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to force the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to immediately implement the measures. If the federation of labor unions is successful, all U.S. workplaces subject to OSHA rules will be required to develop workplace safety plans to safeguard workers against the risk of disease transmission.
“It’s truly a sad day in America when working people must sue the organization tasked with protecting our health and safety,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a statement. “But we’ve been left no choice. Millions are infected and nearly 90,000 have died, so it’s beyond urgent that action is taken to protect workers who risk our lives daily to respond to this public health emergency. If the Trump administration refuses to act, we must compel them to.”
A bill in Congress, the COVID-19 Every Worker Protection Act of 2020 (H.R. 6559), would also require OSHA to immediately issue an enforceable Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), based on CDC guidance, to protect all workers from exposure to Covid-19 in the workplace. These measures are absolutely necessary to keep workers safe while we restart our economy.