Proposed Legislation
Proposed on March 23, 2017

Policy Summary

Alexander Acosta, the replacement of Andrew Puzder for the labor secretary nominee, told senators during his confirmation hearings that there is an expectation for further cuts to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. This coupled with the Trump budget ensures that cuts will be made to  OSHA. This administration is crucial in not only providing training grants for many future workers but also most importantly ensuring the safety of many workers while on the job. It has been estimated that almost 11 million dollars could be cut from this administration.  OSHA provides employees with the correct and safe working conditions by enforcing workplace safety and health standards with a multitude of inspectors. LEARN MORE

Analysis

According to Reporter Christopher Cook, Alexander Acosta will “diminish an already enfeebled Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) – putting millions of workers at greater risk of accident and injury.” There have been estimates that nearly 11 million dollars could be cut from this necessary administration. Senator Maggie Hassan (D – N.H) continued to question how the cuts would affect OHSA enforcement. Senator Hassan used New Hampshire as an example – a state that only has 7 inspectors but has nearly 50,000 worksites, claiming that it is impossible for inspectors to thoroughly investigate these many areas (almost 7,000 worksites per inspector). This is especially true when inspectors have gone down from 1,108 inspectors to 815 inspectors around the country. A diminishing of an already weakened OSHA will endanger the life of many hardworking Americans. The money allocated to this administration is crucial for the well-being of our working class.

Engagement Resources

• AFL-CIO – The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations is a national trade union center and the largest federation of unions in the United States.
• US Senate – Contact your local representatives to take a stance against this proposed legislation.
• US House of Representatives – Contact your local representatives to take a stance against this proposed legislation.
• UNI Global Union – This is a global union federation for skills and services, gathering national and regional trade unions.

This brief was compiled by Vaibhav Kumar. If you have comments or want to add the name of your organization to this brief please contact vaibhav@usresistnews.org.