IEC Strongly Opposes Rule Sanctioning Union Participation on OSHA Inspections
On February 21, 2013, the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) issued a letter of interpretation addressed to Mr. Steve
Sallman of the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy,
Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (USW) explicitly
endorsing union representatives and other non-employee third parties to
accompany OSHA inspectors on walk-around inspections at non-union
workplaces.
The Coalition for Workplace Safety believes the
interpretation is inconsistent with the statute and regulations. This letter of
interpretation is bad policy implemented through a non-transparent closed
process. IEC joined 56 organizations to send
a letter to OSHA communicating our displeasure that such a policy did not go
through the normal rule-making process and was issued as a letter of
interpretation. IEC will continue to monitor this situation closely.
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