More action needed to fix Chemical Safety Board crucial to N.J., advocates say
While President Joe Biden has nominated three people to the independent board that investigates chemical accidents, supporters of the Chemical Safety Board said other steps also must be taken so the agency properly can do its job. A letter from 22 unions, environmental groups and other advocacy organizations to Chair Katherine Lemos, the last remaining member of the board, called for more investigators. Read entire article here.
Statement from Healthy Schools Now on Gov. Murphy’s Budget Announcement: $75 million for schools is a good start; Billions needed to create safe schools for 1.2 million+ NJ students
For immediate release – November 19, 2021 Contact: Heather Sorge, hsorge@njwec.org, (908) 310-7874 Statement from Healthy Schools Now on Gov. Murphy’s Budget Announcement $75 million for schools is a good start; Billions needed to create safe schools for 1.2 million+ NJ students The following statement on today’s announcement from Gov. Phil Murphy about funding for New Jersey Schools is from Heather Sorge, Healthy Schools Now organizer with the New Jersey Work Environment Council (NJWEC). “We’re pleased to see that Governor Murphy has identified $75 million in previously appropriated funds that can be used for badly-needed renovations and improvements in [...]
New Jersey Work Environment Council Statement on OSHA’s New Vaccine and Testing Standard
Press Statement For Immediate Release: November 4, 2021 Contact: Debra Coyle, 609.707.1320; dcoyle@njwec.org New Jersey Work Environment Council Statement on OSHA’s New Vaccine and Testing Standard “Paid Time off for Vaccines is Good, but OSHA Misses the Mark by Passing Costs on to Workers for Testing and Masks” The following statement about the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) released today by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is from Debra Coyle, executive director of the New Jersey Work Environment Council (NJWEC). “Vaccines are safe and effective, and we’re glad to see the new OSHA ETS requires paid time off for vaccines and recovery. We are concerned [...]
NJ Work Environment Council Congratulates Doug Parker, Confirmed as New Chief of U.S. OSHA
The following statement is from Debra Coyle McFadden, executive director of the New Jersey Work Environment Council (WEC). “We’re glad to see Doug Parker, a highly qualified safety professional, confirmed today by the U.S. Senate. As assistant secretary of labor, he will head the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). “Doug brings his experience as head of Cal/OSHA, the nation’s largest statewide safety agency. He also served as executive director at Worksafe, a non-profit that provides legal services and public advocacy for workers seeking to improve safety on the job. Worksafe and WEC are both affiliates of the National [...]
Let’s ‘build back’ the right way for working people
Clean-energy investment is a way to tackle climate change and at the same time create jobs upon which futures can be built Investment in renewable energy nationwide, spurred by President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” campaign, represents even more than an opportunity to fight back against the health, safety and economic threats from climate change. Done right, it also has the potential to dramatically make work pay again for millions of Americans who’ve been shoved aside for too many years in an economy where the rich got richer and — well, you know the rest. Read the entire OpEd. [...]
New Jersey’s SDA districts set to open in ‘deplorable conditions.’ What you need to know
When Abraham Lincoln School in Garfield reopens in September, students will cram into a building constructed 50 years after the 16th president was assassinated and is showing its age: A sagging roof, water damage from leaks in the mortar, no air- conditioning. It gets no better in some schools in Paterson, where the local teachers union has reported mold, leaky ceilings and rodents. But they do have running drinking water, which is more than can be said of at least half the schools in Jersey City. Those schools are examples among dozens throughout New Jersey’s 31 so-called Schools Development Authority [...]