Victory!
Workers Win New OSHA Ergonomics Standard
Action Needed to Fight Congressional and Business Attacks

After 10 long years of struggle, workers in this country finally have won protections to prevent crippling repetitive strain injuries, the nation's biggest job safety problem. On Nov. 13, OSHA issued its final ergonomics standard, which will prevent hundreds of thousands of injuries each year. The final standard requires employers to implement ergonomics programs and fix jobs where musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) occur. While not as strong a measure as the union movement had sought—because it does not require action until workers are injured and fails to cover all workers—the rule is a huge step forward and will bring about major improvements in workplace safety. (For details about the standard, see the AFL-CIO fact sheet.)

The promulgation of this new workplace protection is a major victory for workers, the union movement and safety and health activists. For years, Big Business groups and anti-worker members of Congress have waged a relentless campaign to block the ergonomics standard. Repeatedly, Republican leaders have made—and then broken—agreements to allow the ergonomics standard to proceed. Just two weeks ago, Republican House leaders blew up an agreement their own negotiators had reached on a major budget bill—bowing to opposition from the Chamber of Commerce and other business interests to any agreement that permitted the final standard to be promulgated.

As we celebrate this victory, we must get ready for the certain attempts by business and congressional opponents to overturn the final standard through legislative and court actions. In Congress, efforts to overturn the final rule or block it from taking effect may begin as soon as Congress returns for a lame-duck session.

Action Needed

The final battle in our fight for a workplace ergonomics standard begins today. We must act immediately to build broad public and congressional support for this important worker protection. Please join the fight to stop opponents' efforts to block or overturn this hard-won protection.

• Share this alert and information about this new worker safety standard widely through publications and electronic communications. Urge others to join this effort.

• E-mail your members of Congress. Thank those who have voted correctly on ergonomics and urge others to do better. Tell them workers need and deserve these protections to prevent crippling workplace injuries. Ask them to support the OSHA ergonomics standard and to oppose any attempts to block or delay the rule.

• Write letters to the editor to let the public know why workers in your community need these protections.

A copy of the standard and background information can be found on OSHA's website.

Thank you for all your hard work. Let's keep up the fight so that working men and women finally have the protections they deserve.