Several high-ranking Democrat members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce have sent a letter to President Bush, accusing the Administration of ignoring a promise to address the issue of workplace ergonomics injuries. The letter, which was sent on March 19 by Representatives George Miller (D-CA), Major Owens (D-NY), Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and David Obey (D-MI), also was published on the "Minority Views" portion of the Committee’s website.
The Members of Congress accuse President Bush and Secretary of Labor Elaine Y. Chao (pictured) of reneging on a promise to address ergonomics after Congress voted to rescind a controversial Clinton-era standard. Secretary Chao has said repeatedly that the problem of work-related musculoskeletal (MSD) injuries is a priority for the Administration. However, the Labor Department has delayed release of its plan several times over the last few months, arguing that staff resources have been diverted to other matters as a result of the September 11th terrorist attacks.
In the letter, the Members suggested that the Administration is making a concerted effort to turn its back on the ergonomics issue, stating, “the actions of your Administration over the past year have demonstrated the lack of urgency this matter is receiving. The Administration’s first action was to nominate, and then recess appoint Eugene Scalia, a noted leader in efforts to prevent the adoption of any government ergonomic protections, to be Solicitor of Labor. In addition, the Department of Labor delayed until January 1, 2003 the definition of what constitutes an MSD and the regulatory requirement for employers to identify MSDs on workplace injury and illness logs. The Department of Labor’s (DOL) most recent regulatory agenda failed to include any regulatory action on ergonomics, and the Administration’s FY 2003 budget proposal contained no funding request for any meaningful activity on ergonomics.”
Secretary Chao had been expected to testify last month on the Agency’s ergonomics plan before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. The hearing was postponed at the request of Secretary Chao, and has been rescheduled for Thursday, April 18. She also is expected to appear before the Senate subcommittee on appropriations with jurisdiction over DOL matters, so the issue may be discussed at that time.
In a related matter, Senator John Breaux (D-LA) has announced that he will put off introducing legislation that would force the Administration to issue a new ergonomics regulation within two years. Similar legislation was proposed last year (S. 598). Sen. Breaux stated that he has not ruled out introducing such a bill after the spring recess.
