Job Safety
Following passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, safety and health conditions in our nation's workplaces have improved. Workers' lives have been saved and injury and illness rates have dropped in many industry sectors of the economy. However, too many employers continue to cut corners and violate the law, putting workers in serious danger and costing lives. Many hazards remain unregulated. The job safety law needs to be updated to provide protection for all workers who lack coverage and to strengthen enforcement and workers’ rights. It's our job to continue this fight for safe jobs.
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On behalf of the New York City labor movement at the epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis, I’d like to extend thanks to United States Senator Charles Schumer for his tireless work on the stimulus bill.
Today, we mark the 109th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, a catastrophic event in which 146 workers, mostly young immigrant women, were killed as a direct result of abhorrent working conditions and woefully insufficient workplace safety standards.
(Updated 5/11/20) The COVID-19 pandemic remains an extraordinarily challenging situation, with New York City workers, as always, on the front lines of the crisis. The labor movement is rising in solidarity to meet those challenges.
(Updated 8/14/20) The Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to have significant effects not only on the health of New Yorkers but on the economy as a whole. With businesses forced to close, workers in all industries are facing unprecedented economic uncertainty.
Worried about how the Coronavirus affects workers?
Join us for a panel on safety and health protections for workers, unions, employers and the community.
Panelists:
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Hundreds were arrested and thousands more demonstrated at airports nationwide on one of the busiest travel days in the U.S.—the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. The protests were led by airline catering workers who provide inflight food and beverage services for all major U.S.