NELP policy brief praises Obama, calls on Trump to maintain protections for workers

New York – A new policy brief from the National Employment Law Project outlines achievements made in worker safety during the Obama administration and calls on President Donald Trump and his team to maintain strong protections for workers.

The brief, Worker Safety and Health in the Obama Years: An Exemplary Record, is divided into six sections:

• Adopting and Enforcing Sensible Rules Saves Lives
• Targeting Enforcing Makes the Most of Limited Resources
• Fighting Illegal Retaliation Against Whistleblowers
• Holding State Partners Accountable for Enforcement
• Moving Forward in a New Era
• Weighing the Labor Secretary Nominee

“The Obama administration was committed not only to increasing outreach and education on worker safety and health, but also to fair and effective enforcement,” the policy brief states.

NELP released the brief as the Senate considers the nomination of Andrew Puzder as secretary of labor, replacing Thomas Perez. Puzder is chief executive of CKE Restaurants Holdings, the parent company of Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s and other regional fast-food chains. He has criticized minimum-wage increases, the Fair Labor Standards Act overtime rule, paid sick leave and other recent government regulations. At press time, the Senate had yet to confirm Puzder.

“In a very direct way, a strong Labor Department saves the lives of workers across the country, just as a weak Labor Department allows workers to be placed in grave danger and dramatically increases the rate at which workers are killed on the job or develop chronic and even debilitating health conditions on the job,” Rachel Nass, communications associate at NELP, wrote in a Jan. 19 blog post. “With the safety and health of America’s workers in the balance, we cannot afford to move backward on health and safety.”