Monthly Archives: March 2017

The Healthy Schools Now coalition of the NJ Work Environment Council is proud to partner with Education Law Center in calling for the NJ Department of Education and NJ Schools Development Authority (SDA) to approve submitted Emergent Project requests from SDA districts.  With the most recent emergent projects submission deadline in September of 2016, the state agencies responsible for decisions have had more than enough time to review and grant approvals for emergency projects. According to the SDA, emergent projects defined in Department of Education regulations at 6A:26 "means a capital project necessitating expedited review and, if applicable, approval, in order to alleviate a condition that, if not corrected on an expedited basis, would render a building or facility so potentially injurious or hazardous that it causes an imminent peril to the health and safety of students or staff.” Twenty-three of the 31 SDA districts submitted a total of 429 project applications under the 2016 PEP program. This is a constitutionally mandated obligation for the state.  We implore the NJ Department of Education and Schools Development Authority to release the Emergent Project approvals expeditiously. Full Press Release

Congress just made it easier for employers to hide serious workplace injuries from OSHA On March 21, the Senate voted to overturn OSHA’s Volks Rule. The Volks rule restored OSHA’s traditional ability to require employers to maintain accurate records for five years and to be able to use that data to figure out where recurring problems occur and better enforce the law. According to Confined Space, "In short, for 40 years, OSHA was able to cite employers who did not keep complete or accurate injury or illness records over the previous five years. This enabled OSHA to identify deliberate patterns of under reporting and to force changes, not just on those employers’ recordkeeping practices, but on their unsafe work practices. Accurate records are the main way workers and employers can identify health and safety problems in the workplace and correct them." Employers still have to keep logs, but now they can’t be cited for improper record keeping except within a shorter time frame. Unions and workers have the right to see and should track employers’ OSHA Logs; if the logs are incomplete or have inaccuracies they should contact OSHA immediately so that the citations and/or fines stay within the six-month [...]

The Public Need over Corporate Greed campaign presumes that fundamental social change, in New Jersey and elsewhere, can only be achieved if workers, communities, and environmental organizations join forces to combat big moneyed special interests and corporate power. We are excited to announce that we have now trained 45 trainers who are prepared to educate other activists on the economic strip mining of our economy, and how corporations and Wall Street firms have robbed our country, state, communities, and workplaces. Together, we are prepared to shine a spotlight, and make clear the complex economics that political elites would prefer be kept muddled and unclear. Understanding finance and how it affects us is more important now than ever, as we move into an era in which industry executives and Wall Street financiers are leading our federal agencies and setting national policy. If you wish to arrange a training session on financialization and how it affects your community, please contact campaign organizer Brandon Castro. We don't yet have a date set, but we're exploring another train-the-trainer session, possibly this summer. If interested, please complete the application below. Trainer Apprenticeship Application Public Need Over Corporate Greed

WEC and allies, including the Professional Fire Fighters Association of NJ, have been working together for more than two years on a bill that would make communities safer from ultra-explosive crude oil trains. The Oil Train Safety Bill A2463 (S806) is scheduled for a floor vote in the NJ Assembly this Thursday, March 23, 2017. Please contact your Assembly members and urge them to vote for community safety by voting yes on bill A2463.  Issue Details Crude oil and other high-hazard trains travel through both our urban and rural communities. They are visible and easily identifiable to anyone who has ever been stuck at a railroad crossing. Each train carrying hazardous chemicals is required by the US Department of Transportation to have a placard on it identifying the material inside. Placards are an important source of information for emergency responders and railroad employees and others. However, if trains are damaged, or worse, on fire, the placards may not help our first responders. The State has refused to release information regarding how often trains travel through our communities and the volume of hazardous materials contained within, both of which are vital for emergency preparedness and response. This contradicts other states that [...]

The Trump election represented a body blow to the fight against climate change.  In this new era, state leadership is more important than ever.  That’s why 40 labor, environmental, faith, and community groups have come together and launched Jersey Renews, a coalition that’s rallying support for Garden State policies that will lead to climate justice, clean energy, and good jobs. Join us for one of our Jersey Renews kick-off meetings: Monday, March 27 7:30 to 9:00 pm St. Luke's Episcopal Church 73 S. Fullerton Avenue Montclair RSVP  Monday, April 3 12:00 to 2:30 pm Kroc Corps Community Center 1865 Harrison Avenue Camden RSVP Monday, April 10 6:30 to 8:00 pm Labor Education Center 50 Labor Way New Brunswick RSVP You’ll hear from dynamic speakers who will describe how intelligent state policies can help us reach the greenhouse gas emission reduction goals we need, maintain and create good jobs, and give us cleaner air in our communities.  New Jerseyans will elect a new governor later this year.  We need all the candidates to know that there’s powerful support for taking action on climate change. And, because we need to join our efforts to [...]

After the Flint lead crisis entered the public consciousness, the crisis of lead in drinking water became known as a national public health crisis. WEC was proud to stand with Environment NJ and NJ PIRG to announce the release of their jointly authored groundbreaking report ‘Get The Lead Out’ at the New Jersey Statehouse on March 16.  The report grades individual states on their response to the lead crisis and makes several recommendations for how policy makers can decisively address the lead crisis. New Jersey earned a C-, ahead of several other states, but still far from adequate.  Barely average doesn’t cut it when it comes to the health and safety of our children.  The recommendations outlined in the “Get The Lead Out’ report, if implemented, would result in significant public health improvements.  We hope that this report’s recommendations are seriously considered by our nation’s public servants, as they consider legislative solutions to the insidious crisis of lead in drinking water.  Our children deserve nothing less.   “The Healthy Schools Now coalition applauds Environment New Jersey for releasing their landmark 'Get The Lead Out' report. This groundbreaking report makes clear that the public health crisis of lead [...]

Call your US Senators to oppose passage of H.J.Res.83.  As we know, worker health and safety are closely linked to accurate workplace injury and illness data. Better records benefit both employees and employers by allowing each to become more aware of hazards, recognize patterns, and take corrective actions. In short, accurate records help protect workers, while less-complete records have the potential to put them at greater risk. This data – and by extension, worker health and safety – are being threatened by H.J.Res.83. In a misguided attempt to reduce perceived regulatory burden, this fast-moving legislation would use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to permanently overturn OSHA’s final rule which clarifies that an employer is obligated to establish and maintain accurate records of work-related injuries and illnesses throughout a five-year record retention time-frame. ACT NOW. It is highly likely that the Senate will vote on H.J.Res.83 soon.