Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Worker Safety and Health
Miller and Levin: 6 Months after Rana Plaza Tragedy, Companies Need To Step Up & Compensate Victims
10.23.13 WASHINGTON - U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.) and Sander Levin (D-Mich.) issued the following joint statement today marking the six-month anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy where more than 1,100 garment workers in Bangladesh died and 2,500 injured after the building housing several garment factories collapsed. The International Labor Rights Forum and the Clean Clothes Campaign also issued a report today highlighting significant problems in compensating the families of the victims and those… Continue Reading
Reps. Miller, Courtney Applaud DOL’s Proposed Rule to Protect Health, Safety of American Workers
08.22.13 WASHINGTON - Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee, and Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), the senior Democrat on the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, issued the following statements today regarding the U.S. Department of Labor's proposed rule to strengthen workplace safety protections regarding exposure to Silica. "I commend Labor Secretary Tom Perez and OSHA Director Dr. David Michaels for proposing powerful new protections to reduce lung… Continue Reading
Rep. George Miller Statement on Obama Executive Order to Improve Chemical Facility Safety and Security
08.01.13 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement after President Obama signed an executive order today asking federal agencies to develop a plan to improve safety oversight, and coordination and informational sharing with other agencies at chemical plants and other facilities that store dangerous chemicals. "President Obama's executive order is a positive step to better protect the safety … Continue Reading
Levin and Miller Joint Statement on So-Called Bangladesh Safety Alliance
07.10.13 WASHINGTON - U.S. Reps. Sander Levin (D-Mich.), the ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee, and George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following joint statement on today's announcement of the U.S. corporate-led Bangladesh factory safety alliance by the Bipartisan Policy Center. "This May, following a long string of preventable tragedies in the ready-made garment sector in Bangladesh, we called on the major U.S. bra… Continue Reading
Levin and Miller Joint Statement on Suspension of GSP Trade Preferences for Bangladesh
06.27.13 WASHINGTON - U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, and Sander Levin (D-Mich.), the ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee, issued the following joint statement after the Obama administration announced that it will suspend Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) trade benefits for Bangladesh. "Given the deteriorating conditions for worker rights in Bangladesh, President Obama's decision to suspend GSP trade benefi… Continue Reading
On FLSA’s 75th Anniversary, Time to Renew Commitment to Nation’s Minimum Wage, Overtime and Child Labor Protections
06.25.13 WASHINGTON - On the 75th anniversary of the Fair Labor Standards Act, Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) issued the following statement urging Congress to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour and stop Republican attacks on the law’s basic wage protections. “Seventy-five years later, the Fair Labor Standards Act remains the nation’s bedrock laws that ensures workers are paid fairly for the work they perform. It established the minimum wage, made the 40-hour work week possible and provided tha… Continue Reading
House Approves Bill Containing Amendment Regarding Bangladesh Safety Accord and Military-Branded & Licensed Apparel
06.14.13 WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives approved a defense authorization bill today containing a measure that will require that military-branded garments made in Bangladesh and sold at base retail stores owned by the Department of Defense, known as exchanges, comply with an enforceable fire and building safety accord that will improve conditions in Bangladesh ready-made garment factories. The amendment was authored by Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and George Miller (D-Calif.). “We thank Chair… Continue Reading
Military-Branded & Licensed Apparel Sold at Base Stores Must Comply with Bangladesh Fire & Safety Accord, House Dem Amendment Says
06.12.13 WASHINGTON - An amendment filed by two House Democrats to a defense authorization bill would require that garments made in Bangladesh and sold at base retail stores owned by the Department of Defense, known as exchanges, comply with an enforceable fire and building safety accord that will improve conditions in Bangladesh ready-made garment factories. A number of garments and documents with Marine insignias were found in the rubble of the November 2012 Bangladesh Tazreen Fashions fire that kille… Continue Reading
U.S. Congressman George Miller Travels to Bangladesh this Week to Inspect Garment Industry
05.23.13 WASHINGTON - A senior member of Congress is traveling to Bangladesh this week to personally inspect conditions in the world’s second largest garment industry that is experiencing a high rate of fatalities and injuries and to meet with workers, victims, and industry and government officials. U.S. Congressman George Miller (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, is the first member of Congress to visit Bangladesh since more than 1,100 workers died and m… Continue Reading
Senior House Democrats Urge U.S. Retailers to Join Coalition Supporting Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh
05.17.13 Call on Retailers to Commit to Fully Enforceable Agreement on Bangladeshi Worker Rights WASHINGTON - Senior House Democrats have sent letters to nine separate U.S. retailers calling upon them to join a broadening global coalition supporting a May 12 Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, developed by the Worker Rights Consortium and a number of key stakeholders. The accord has won the support of labor rights organizations and unions around the world, and it has gained significant mom… Continue Reading
Rep. Miller: Wal-Mart Needs to Stop Stonewalling on Bangladesh Safety Agreement
05.14.13 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after Wal-Mart announced that it would conduct its own safety efforts in Bangladesh rather than signing onto an enforceable agreement that several major European retailers and fashion brands have recently agreed to. “Wal-Mart needs to stop stonewalling and sign the binding agreement that a dozen other companies have signed. Wal-Mart's a… Continue Reading
Rep. Miller Statement on H&M, Inditex(Zara) and C&A Joining Bangladesh Worker Safety Agreement
05.13.13 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after news that H&M, Inditex (Zara) and C&A agreed to sign onto an enforceable fire and building safety agreement for their suppliers and contractors in Bangladesh where more than a thousand workers have died recently in garment factory tragedies. Miller has a long history of working against the use of sweatshops and has been urg… Continue Reading
As Recent Bangladesh Factory Deaths Surpass 1,000, Miller Reiterates Call for Fashion Industry to Sign Enforceable Safety Agreement
05.10.13 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after the death toll from an April 25 Bangladeshi garment facility collapse surpassed 1,000 workers, making it one of the worst industrial tragedies in history. A Bangladeshi woman was found alive today in the rubble after two weeks, and thousands of other workers were injured in the collapse. Miller has a long history of working in Congres… Continue Reading
Levin, Miller Urge Concrete and Coordinated Action on Bangladeshi Worker Rights, Working Conditions
05.01.13 In Letter to President Obama, Request Administration Convene Key Stakeholders to Develop Action Plan WASHINGTON - Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sander Levin and Education and Workforce Committee Senior Democratic Member George Miller today sent a letter to President Obama urging the Administration to convene representatives of the European and American retailers, the Bangladeshi garment industry, garment workers, their unions and the government, the International Labor Organization, a… Continue Reading
Rep. Miller: We Shouldn’t Have to Settle for the Status Quo on Worker Safety
04.29.13 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement marking Workers Memorial Day on April 28, a day to remember those who have been fatally injured or died while on the job. “On Workers Memorial Day, we reflect on the unacceptable price paid by thousands of workers who lose their lives each year and the millions who are severely injured while just trying to make a living. This reflection shoul… Continue Reading
House Dems Ask GAO to Examine Oversight Gaps at West, TX & Similar Facilities Nationwide
04.25.13 WASHINGTON - Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.) and Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) today requested that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigate gaps in regulatory oversight of the West, Texas fertilizer plant where an April 17 explosion killed 15 and injured more than 200. Miller, the senior Democratic member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, and Courtney, the senior Democratic member of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, also asked the GAO to catalog similar facilities acros… Continue Reading
GAO: State Workplace Safety Agencies Falling Short in Protecting Workers
04.18.13 WASHINGTON - In a report released today (pdf), the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that some of the state-run occupational safety and health programs have failed to meet minimum workplace safety inspection goals, because of state budget cuts, reduced staffing, and policies that limit their ability to retain safety and health inspectors. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, a state is allowed to run its own workplace health and safety program if the state’s program is at… Continue Reading
Bill to Strengthen Worker Health and Safety Law Introduced by House Dems
04.18.13 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Democrats on the House Education and the Workforce Committee reintroduced legislation today that strengthens and modernizes the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 by giving the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) tools to ensure that employers promptly correct hazardous working conditions, protect workers from retaliation when they blow the whistle on unsafe working conditions, and hold employers accountable for violations that cause death or serious… Continue Reading
Rep. Miller Statement on Meeting with Survivor of Bangladesh’s Tazreen Factory Fire and other Human Rights Leaders
04.10.13 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after meeting with a survivor of the Tazreen factory fire and other human rights leaders. Rep. Miller met with Sumi Abedin, a survivor of the Tazreen fire in Bangladesh that killed 112 workers in November 2012, Kalpona Akter, the executive director of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity, and other international workers' rights leaders. … Continue Reading
Inaction on Mine Safety Is Shameful, say Reps. Miller and Courtney on 3rd Anniversary of Upper Big Branch Tragedy
04.05.13 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, and Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), the ranking member of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, issued the following statement today on the third anniversary of the Upper Big Branch mine explosion in Montcoal, W. Va. "Three years ago, 29 miners' lives were taken in an entirely senseless and preventable tragedy at the Upper Big Branch mine. While many on Capitol Hill have turned… Continue Reading