The criminal trial of former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship commenced on October 7 with opening statements by the prosecution and defense attorneys. The following are some of my favorite excerpts pulled from Day #1’s transcript.
Child Labor
Summit on Worker Voice: ‘We should be making it easier, not harder, for folks to join a union’
Earlier this week, the White House hosted a Summit on Worker Voice, welcoming organizers from more traditional labor groups, such as unions, as well as voices from new worker movements, such as Fight for $15. At the summit, President Obama spoke about wages, the power of collective action and the growing “gig” economy.
Anyone who’s lived in a big, dense city is familiar with the sight of bicycle messengers weaving their way in between metro buses and taxi cabs, down side streets and around packed crosswalks, pedaling at impressive speeds and often with remarkable agility. Surprisingly, however, there’s little data on these workers, even though it seems they’d be particularly susceptible to injuries on the job.
US farmworkers, many of whom move from state to state following crops, will now have better access to information about the pesticides used at the farms where they work. Among other things, a new EPA rule will require employers to provide annual pesticide-hazard training to farmworkers.
My neighbor shares her thoughts about being part of VW’s “clean diesel” charade, while a reporter estimates the premature deaths associated with the corporation’s fraud.
Union fair-share fees at stake in upcoming Supreme Court case; United Arab Emirates announces labor reforms for migrant workers; taxi drivers in Chicago stop service in protest of proposed Uber rules; and health privacy at risk in workplace wellness programs.
Senators should mark Mesothelioma Awareness Day (September 26) by considering asbestos as the litmus test for the adequacy of any TSCA reform legislation. They’ll see that S.697 fails the test.
In the U.S., the gap in life expectancy by income is getting wider. To be even clearer: Life expectancy for people with higher incomes has gone up over time, while life expectancy for people earning lower incomes has actually declined.
Environmental Health
New study illustrates risk that climate change poses to safe drinking water, human health
For years, scientists have described climate change as a slowly emerging public health crisis. But for many, it’s difficult to imagine how a complex planetary phenomenon can impact personal well-being beyond the obvious effects of natural disasters, which climatologists say will happen more frequently and intensely as the world warms. That disconnect is what piqued my interest in a new study on old infrastructure, heavy rainfalls and spikes in human illness.
Not an accident
Fatal work injury that killed Alejandro Anguiana was preventable, OSHA cites Markman Peat
The fatal work-related injuries that killed Alejandro Anguiana could have been prevented had his employer followed worker safety regulations.