Watch
Senator Murray on Senate floor
(Washington,
D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) reintroduced the Protecting
America’s Workers Act (PAWA), which amends and updates the Occupational Safety
and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) to make sure that workers are protected in
the 21st century economy. Murray spoke on the Senate floor this afternoon
to urge her colleagues to support this critical legislation.
“Every worker, in every
industry, deserves to be confident that while they are working hard and doing
their jobs, their employers are doing everything they can to protect them,” said Senator Murray on the Senate floor today. “That…is
why I am so proud to reintroduce the Protecting America’s Workers Act.
This legislation is a long-overdue update to the…OSH Act.
“Since that
groundbreaking law was passed over 40 years ago, American industry has changed
significantly. Businesses have become more complex, workers are
performing 21st century tasks, but the government is still using a
1970 approach to regulations to protect employees.”
“…Nothing can bring
back the workers we have lost in communities like Anacortes. But we owe
it them to make sure workers everywhere are truly protected on the job. So I
urge my colleagues to support the Protecting America’s Workers Act. And
to keep working with us to make workplaces safer and healthier across America.”
PAWA
works to address workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths, which have remained
persistent despite the administration of the OSH Act. Specifically, PAWA
expands OSH Act protections to include state, county, municipal and U.S.
government employees; it increases whistleblower protections, so workers can
sound the alarm on unsafe working conditions without fear of retaliation; and
improves OSHA reporting, inspection, and enforcement.
These
improvements will help the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
ensure safe and healthful work environments in industries that have outpaced
decades old government regulation. This legislation was sponsored by Senator
Kennedy in previous Congresses, and has the support of the AFL-CIO.
Original
Senate co-sponsors of this legislation are Senators Akaka, Blumenthal, Brown
(OH), Franken, Harkin, Lautenberg, Rockefeller, Shaheen, and Whitehouse.
The
full text of Senator Murray’s speech on the Senate floor follows:
“Madam
President, I come to the floor today to talk about our obligation to protect
workers across America. And to urge my colleagues to support the
Protecting America’s Workers Act, which I am proud to reintroduce today.
“Madam
President, middle class families across America are really struggling.
“So
many of them have lost their homes, lost their jobs—and so many others are
fighting to keep their heads above the water.
“We
are working hard to create jobs and get the economy back on track, but we also
owe it to those middle class families to make sure those jobs are safe and
healthy.
“Madam
President, in 2009 alone, there were 4,340 deaths in workplaces across America.
And over 3 million more were injured or sickened while on the job.
“You
know, if more than 4,000 Americans were killed in one day it would be on the
front page of every paper across the country.
“If
an epidemic claimed 4,000 lives in a week, it would lead the nightly news each
night.
“But
that’s not the way it usually works with workplace injuries. They happen
a few at a time, spread out across the country.
“In
communities like Anacortes, in my home state of Washington—where a fire broke
out at last year at the Tesoro Refinery that killed 7 workers.
“These were men and women
who were taken too young—with so much life to live, and with so many people to
live it with.
“Workers who took on tough
jobs, worked long hours, during difficult economic times— to provide for their
families.
“They were people who made
tremendous sacrifices and who embodied so much of what is good about their
community and their state. And they have been dearly missed.
“Washington state
investigators looked into this incident—and they determined that this tragedy
could have been—and should have been—prevented.
“The problems that led to
what happened were known beforehand—they should have been fixed, but they
weren’t. And that is just heartbreaking.
“Every worker—in every
industry—deserves to be confident that while they are working hard and doing
their jobs, their employers are doing everything they can to protect them.
“And that, Madam President,
is why I am so proud to reintroduce the Protecting America’s Workers Act.
“This legislation is a
long-overdue update to the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, or, the
OSH Act.
“Since that groundbreaking
law was passed over 40 years ago, American industry has changed significantly.
“Businesses have become
more complex, workers are performing 21st century tasks, but the
government is still using a 1970 approach to regulations to protect employees.
“This doesn’t make sense,
and it needs to change.
“We need to update the way
we as a country think about our worker safety regulations, and this law is an
important step in that direction.
“This is not about adding
more regulations, it’s about having smarter regulations.
“It’s about having
regulations that protect workers, and that make sense for businesses.
“Madam President, the
Protecting America’s Workers Act makes a number of key improvements to the OSH
Act, but I want to highlight just a few here today.
“First of all, it
increases protections for workers who blow the whistle on unsafe working
conditions.
“Protecting workers who
tell the truth is just common sense—and in fact, other modern laws, like the Consumer
Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 and the Food Safety Modernization Act of
2010, do exactly that.
“But since the OSH Act
hasn’t been updated, the vast majority of workers don’t have similar
protections.
“So my bill would make
sure that a whistleblower’s right to protection from retaliation can’t be
waived through collective bargaining agreements.
“And that they have the
option to appeal to the federal courts if they feel they are being mistreated
for telling the truth about dangerous practices.
“The Protecting America’s
Workers Act also improves reporting, inspection, and enforcement of workplace
health and safety violations.
“It expands the rights of
the victims, and it makes sure that employers who oversee unsafe workplaces are
pushed to quickly improve them to avoid further endangering worker health and
safety.
“Madam President, this is a
good bill. I am proud to have a number of cosponsors here in the Senate, as
well as the support of over 100 national groups in our efforts to improve
workplace safety.
“Nothing can bring back
the workers we have lost in communities like Anacortes. But we owe it
them to make sure workers everywhere are truly protected on the job.
“So I urge my colleagues
to support the Protecting America’s Workers Act. And to keep working with
us to make workplaces safer and healthier across America.
“Thank you. I yield the
floor.”
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