In 16 years with the union, James August has helped the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration develop regulations on tuberculosis, asbestos, bloodborne pathogens like HIV, and ergonomics (fitting the job to the worker).

He has provided technical assistance and training to many AFSCME affiliates, including DC 37.

Contributing Editor Molly Charboneau interviewed him recently for PEP.

What has happened to on-the-job safety and health under the Bush administration?
In a word, it has been an assault. In March, Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress took away the new ergonomics protections for employees engaged in repetitive tasks. Since then the U.S. Labor Dept. has weakened or delayed other regulations that protect workers, such as record keeping and a tuberculosis standard. OSHA also withdrew a grant that had been awarded to AFSCME to provide health and safety training and assistance to our members.

How does the repeal of the OSHA ergonomics standard affect union members?
AFSCME and the labor movement fought for more than a decade for an ergonomics standard. Back injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis and other musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the worst job safety problem for AFSCME members and other workers. According to the National Academy of Sciences, these injuries cause over a million workers to miss time from their jobs each year at an annual cost to the economy of $50 billion.

Proactive ergonomics programs can prevent needless pain, disability and even career-ending injuries. An effective program requires identifying and correcting working conditions that cause MSDs, and training workers to recognize and report early symptoms. Workers also need to be evaluated and treated by qualified medical professionals.

Our efforts to win ergonomic protections did not end when the standard was repealed. The union will continue pushing for ergonomic protections through collective bargaining, as DC 37 has done, and supporting legislation that would force OSHA to issue a new standard.

What happened to mandatory record keeping of workplace injuries and illness?
OSHA has sided with the same industry interests that opposed the ergonomics standard. On its new OSHA 300 log of injuries and illnesses, the agency removed the separate column for MSDs. Lumping them in with other ailments will make it harder to evaluate ergonomic injuries. OSHA also removed the column for hearing loss.

The labor movement has pushed hard for an OSHA tuberculosis regulation. What is its status?
AFSCME, DC 37 and other unions first called for TB regulations in 1993. In 1997 and 1998, DC 37 members and staff testified at an OSHA hearing in New York City. Unfortunately, OSHA did not issue final rules before Bush took office. Now, it appears that OSHA has no plans at all to protect workers from tuberculosis. AFSCME President Gerald McEntee has urged Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao to reconsider this position.

How have OSHA grants to fund safety and health training for members fared under Bush?
AFSCMEís grant of $250,000 for 2001 and those of 18 other organizations were withdrawn shortly after the Bush administration took office. Despite a huge federal fiscal surplus, OSHA claimed that the decision was made for budgetary reasons. Future OSHA grants will provide less money for a shorter time and have a narrower focus.

What kind of officials is Bush installing at OSHA and the Dept. of Labor?
Eugene Scalia, a proven extremist and an outspoken opponent of workersí interests, has been nominated to be the top lawyer in the Labor Dept. Scalia would be responsible for defending the agencyís regulations, yet he was one of the lead attorneys representing industry against OSHA’s ergonomics standard. He is the son of conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and a partner in the law firm that represented Bush before the Supreme Court after the disputed election in Florida.

John Henshaw, a safety professional, has been confirmed as assistant secretary of labor for OSHA. I am not personally familiar with him, but he has received high marks from the health and safety community. The question is, what will the Bush administration allow him to do?

How are AFSCME and the AFL-CIO dealing with the Bush administrationís attack on safety and health?
AFSCME is stressing education, organization and mobilization to confront the challenges posed by this anti-worker administration. We are educating our members on the rights they already have and the need to fight for new rights to improve the safety environment on the job.

Our emphasis is on using health and safety issues to build the union by involving workers in the solutions to the health and safety problems they face in the workplace.