Jeff Kaminiski, president of United Steelworkers Local 2006, said this week he called the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Madison office and asked that Walker be fined.
“Gov. Walker’s violations send the wrong message to anyone trying follow the rules and come home safe at the end of the day,” Kaminski said in a statement. “Safety is the backbone of the union movement. We want all workers to come home safe at end of the day, we can’t have an example like this playing statewide.”
The ad does illustrate multiple violations of OSHA rules for working in trenches, said Adam Finkel, executive director of the Penn Program on Regulation at the University of Pennsylvania and a former OSHA director of health regulations under President Bill Clinton.
The good news is that they are doing this. If this is all the liberals can muster against Walker, it’s pretty small ball. It means they know they are losing on the issues.
As for the complaint itself, here is the ad for reference:
It’s not the best ad in the world, but it makes a point. What’s so stupid about the complaint, in addition to the fact that it is a political ad and not a workplace, is that OSHA doesn’t even apply. According to OSHA:
OSHA covers most private sector employers and their workers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and other U.S. jurisdictions either directly through federal OSHA or through an OSHA-approved state program. Workers at state and local government agencies are not covered by federal OSHA, but have OSH Act protections if they work in those states that have an OSHA-approved state program. To find out if you are in a state with an OSHA–approved state program visit our website at www.osha.gov/dcsp/osp/index.html.
And if you follow the like, Wisconsin does not have an OSHA-approved state program. So in his role as a state employee, OSHA does not apply to Walker. In his role as a candidate, he is not an employee of any sort and OSHA does not apply.
One would think that if “safety is the backbone of the union movement” is true, as Kaminski contends, that he would have taken 30 seconds to see which safety regulations might apply before opening his mouth.
But still… small ball.
Not only does OHSA not apply to state worksites, but Act 10 made it illegal to have any safety issues addressed in a contract between a labor union and the state. (or a city, county, school board). Therefore, all safety issues are now entirely at the whims and moods of management.
No coincidence that workers in so-called “right to work” states are more likely to be killed or injured on the job, is it?
Somebody did not check the liberal, hate Scott Walker playbook, on this complaint.
A union liberal concerned about Scott Walker’s safety?
That flies in the face of all the threats of bodily harm union activists made against Walker, Tonette, and Walker’s kids.
I certain hole climbing without a helmut is inherently more safe than what Walker faced from union activists….funny this guy was not concerned about reporting that to OSHA, or any other over funded government agency protecting people against a hostile workplace..