The Teamsters get ready to become a ‘sanctuary union’; a Florida bill would protect immigrant workers injured on the job; low-wage workers return to the streets to fight for $15; and the death of a social worker highlights the risks of occupational violence.
Labor unions are becoming de facto immigrant rights groups; Trump pick to head MSHA is a former coal executive; Cal/OSHA opens more investigations into Goodwill’s safety conditions; and a new memorial honors first responders who became ill after exposures during the World Trade Center terrorist attacks.
Health Impact Assessments
Immigrant rights are under attack, what public health should do to fight back
The public health community must fight back against President Trump’s plan to deport 2 million undocumented residents, many of whom came to the US to escape violence and poverty.
Two years ago, domestic workers in Houston, Texas, took part in the first national survey documenting the conditions they face on the job. The experience — a process of shedding light on the often isolating and invisible world of domestic work — was so moving that Houston workers decided they didn’t want to stop there. Instead, they decided it was time to put their personal stories to paper.
Affordable Care Act
Research on immigrant health care spending makes case for widening insurance options
With immigration at the forefront of national debate, Jim Stimpson decided it was time to do a little more digging.
As immigration legislation passes the Senate Judiciary Committee, a report demonstrates why agricultural employers consider a guest worker program to be so important; Bangladesh garment workers win important improvements; and OSHA penalizes an energy company for firing an employee who raised safety concerns about a nuclear-energy project.
A quick review of the bi-partisan Senate immigration reform bill reveals a few provisions related to workplace safety.
Government
All-time high migrant death rate along US-Mexico border: prevention in immigration reform?
The death rate among individuals crossing illegally the U.S.-Mexico border reached an all-time high in 2012. Focusing on labor law enforcement, rather than border enforcement, could be a solution to the death toll.
President Obama will likely nominate Thomas Perez, currently assistant US attorney general for civil rights, to head the Department of Labor; a new report describes exploitation of undocumented workers; and children working in India’s coal mines face on-the-job hazards while missing out on education.
Denying undocumented immigrants access to the ACA’s main avenues for the uninsured has implications for the hospitals and health centers that serve uninsured people.