Obama-era labor veterans worry about the future of worker protections; a draft Trump executive order would allow employers to discriminate based on their religious beliefs; coal miner rulings offer a look at the legal philosophy of Trump’s Supreme Court nominee; and Iowa Republicans move to gut union rights.
Over the past 24 years, since the FMLA was signed, US policy on paid family and medical leave has stagnated. Today, members of Congress have re-introduced legislation that would help us catch up to most of the rest of the world.
Not violating federal labor law seems like a commonsense precursor for being awarded lucrative federal contracts. House Republicans, however, disagree.
The Pump Handle had its own bizarre experience today with the Trump Administration. It came via an email concerning a news release from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
President Trump made good today on a ludicrous campaign pledge: For every one regulation issued by a federal agency, they will have to offset the cost by eliminating two existing regulations. “Want a new stop sign in your neighborhood? Fine, give up two stop signs somewhere else.” What a hair-brain idea.
President Trump’s callous and short-sighted executive order restricting US entry for refugees and travelers from certain countries is rightfully getting a lot of attention, but it risks overshadowing another destructive thing he did for global health during his first week in office: reinstating and expanding the Mexico City Policy, also known more descriptively as the […]
We’re just a humble little public health blog. But we can still do our part. If you or someone you know need help getting health insurance coverage before next week’s enrollment deadline on Jan. 31, here are some good resources.
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.
Global Supply Chain
Government, industry crackdown in Bangladesh threatens health & safety improvements; clothing brands petitioned to respond
Mass firings, blacklisting of fired workers, indefinite detentions of union leaders and worker rights advocates in Bangladesh threaten the fragile gains in workplace health and safety in the garment industry. International clothing brands and retailers are being petitioned to reverse the firings, release the detained, and respect the basic rights of garment workers.
I can thank the Trump Administration for providing a new phrase to describe how the poultry industry distorts information about working conditions in its plants. Assertions about injury prevention and medical treatment are debunked in a new paper published in the Journal of Safety Research.