Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Worker Safety and Health
Labor Secretary Perez Testifies Before House Committee
03.18.15 WASHINGTON - The Honorable Thomas E. Perez, the U.S. Secretary of Labor, appeared before the full Committee on Education and the Workforce today to testify on the Department's Fiscal Year 2016 budget. "The United States has emerged from the depths of the great recession, and job creation has resumed at a consistent pace," said Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA). "The choice before us now is whether we will choose to pursue prosperity economics or austerity economics. What will ne… Continue Reading
Senior Lawmakers Introduce Sweeping Reforms to Black Lung Benefits Program
11.20.14 WASHINGTON-Senior Democrats from the House and Senate today proposed sweeping reforms to the federal program that provides benefits to coal miners suffering from black lung disease. Federal law requires that coal companies compensate disabled miners who contract black lung, which is caused by inhaling coal dust over an extended period of time, but coal companies routinely deploy an array of unfair tactics to avoid paying miners the benefits they deserve. To help level the playing field for mine… Continue Reading
House Dems Urge U.S. Businesses to Combat Gender-Based Violence in the Workplace
10.23.14 Senior Democratic lawmakers today called upon U.S. businesses to help fight gender-based violence—one of the most widespread human rights violations—in workplaces around the world and across industries. A group of 35 House Democrats sent a letter to the United States Council on International Business (USCIB), urging the group to support the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) proposed standards against workplace violence and abuse. Earlier this year, members of Congress sent a letter aski… Continue Reading
Miller: MSHA’s Black Lung Rule Will Protect Miners’ Long Term Health
07.31.14 WASHINGTON, D.C.-The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) begins implementing a new regulation to protect coal miners from black lung disease on August 1, to which Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following response today. "While black lung rates have dropped dramatically since the passage of Coal Act in 1969, there has been an alarming resurgence of coal miners-particularly you… Continue Reading
Miller Applauds President Obama’s Action on Behalf of Workers
07.31.14 WASHINGTON, D.C.-President Barack Obama today signed a new Executive Order to bolster worker protections in the federal contracting system. The Executive Order requires prospective federal contractors to disclose labor law violations and gives agencies more guidance on how to consider labor violations when awarding federal contracts. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democratic member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, made the following statement: "Today, the Presid… Continue Reading
Miller Leads Effort for Greater Worker Protections in Qatar as World Cup 2022 Construction Accelerates
07.24.14 WASHINGTON, D.C.-As preparations ramp up for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, leading members of Congress, including the co-chairs of the Congressional Soccer Caucus and the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, today introduced a resolution calling for better protections for the mainly migrant workers who have been building new World Cup-related infrastructure in the Persian Gulf emirate. Qatar's migrant workforce faces horrible conditions, including 12-16 hour working days in triple-digi… Continue Reading
DeLauro, Miller Call for USDA to Publish Revised Poultry Slaughter Rule, Open New Public Comment Period, Solicit Public Comments
07.18.14 WASHINGTON, DC-Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and George Miller (D-CA) today led a group of 28 Members of Congress calling on the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to publish a revised poultry slaughter rule, open a new public comment period on the rule and solicit public comments on the revision. The draft final rule was sent from USDA to the Office of Management and Budget last week. DeLauro is a former Chairwoman of the subcommittee that funds the USDA and Miller is the senior Democra… Continue Reading
Congressional Leaders to Chairman Camp: Proposed Fast Track Is DOA in This Congress
06.19.14 WASHINGTON, DC--Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and George Miller (D-CA) released the following statement today responding to Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp's speech at the Global Business Dialogue. In his speech, Chairman Camp called for congressional approval of outdated "Fast Track" Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), on which the three representatives have led the opposition. "The Fast Track mechanism at the core of Chairman Camp's TPA legislation is t… Continue Reading
Democratic Lawmakers Seek to Investigate Reports of Child Labor in Tobacco Farming
06.12.14 WASHINGTON-In response to a recent report on the dangerous working conditions and resulting job-related illness experienced by children working on U.S. tobacco farms, Democrats on the House Education and the Workforce Committee are seeking to examine whether and how the government should strengthen child labor protections. Led by the committee's senior Democrat, Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), all 18 Democratic committee members sent a letter to committee Chairman John Kline (D-Minn.) yesterday … Continue Reading
153 House Democrats to USTR Froman: Protect Workers’ Rights in TPP Negotiations
05.29.14 WASHINGTON, DC-More than 150 House Democrats today called on United States Trade Representative Michael Froman to do more to protect and strengthen international workers' rights as part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations. Led by Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.), Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.), Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.), and Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), 153 Democratic Representatives sent a letter to Ambassador Froman asking that the ongoing TPP negotiations include an enhanced framework for pr… Continue Reading
Leading Congressional Democrats Call for Stronger Oversight of Dangerous Chemical Storage Facilities
05.21.14 WASHINGTON—Following the recommendations of a newly released Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, leading Democratic lawmakers called on the Obama administration to better protect workers and communities against disasters like last year’s massive ammonium nitrate fertilizer explosion in West, Texas. “Last year’s devastating ammonium nitrate fertilizer explosion in West, Texas, is a tragic example of what can happen when there are inadequate protections on the use of highly explosive c… Continue Reading
House Leaders Call on Colombian President To Investigate Recent Bombing, Protect Worker Safety
05.15.14 WASHINGTON—In light of recent violence against workers throughout Colombia, today leaders from the U.S. House of Representatives asked the Colombian government to investigate the recent bombing of a public sector union’s headquarters in the industrial Colombian city of Cali and to further safeguard workers’ rights. Members of the Congressional Monitoring Group on Labor Rights in Colombia, which is charged with overseeing the implementation of the U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement’s (FTA) provi… Continue Reading
College Athletes Unionizing for Basic Health and Safety Protections, Witnesses Tell Committee
05.08.14 WASHINGTON-College athletes lack many basic health and safety protections, which has spurred them to band together to seek union representation and generate policy changes, members learned at a Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing today. The hearing explored the issues faced by today's college athletes, who are key figures in the multi-million-dollar collegiate sports business and find that the 40 to 50 hours a week that they must dedicate to numerous sports-related practices and te… Continue Reading
Miller Comments on New Rule to Help Prevent Black Lung Disease by Reducing Exposure to Coal Mine Dust
04.24.14 WASHINGTON-Today Congressman George Miller, senior Democrat on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, provided the following comment on new rules issued by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to control coal mine dust and reduce exposure, helping protect miners' health and lives through the prevention of black lung disease: "While black lung rates have dropped dramatically for miners who began mining after the passage of Coal Act in 1969, there has been a resurgence of coal … Continue Reading
Miller, Levin Urge Bangladeshi Government to Improve Working Conditions
04.22.14 WASHINGTON - Today, in anticipation of tomorrow’s one-year anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh, Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sandy Levin (D-MI) and Committee on Education and the Workforce Senior Democratic Member George Miller (D-CA) sent a letter to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urging improved conditions for the country’s workers. The letter outlines specific labor issues that have yet to be addressed by the Bangladeshi government as part of the Labor Act… Continue Reading
Mine Safety Legislation Declared Dead by Chairman Kline, Miller Outraged
04.09.14 WASHINGTON—Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.) effectively declared mine safety legislation dead for this session of Congress during today’s markup of labor-related legislation. “What we learned today is that the blood of the 29 miners who died at Upper Big Branch four years ago was shed in vain, and that congressional actions needed to prevent a similar disaster in the future will not be taken any time soon,” said Representative George Miller, senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Commi… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Force Votes on Priority Legislation to Help Workers and Families, Republicans Reject Proposals
04.09.14 WASHINGTON-Committee Democrats today forced votes on multiple pieces of priority legislation to help workers and families during a committee markup of two union-busting Republican bills. As Committee Republicans focused on moving highly partisan bills with no hope of becoming law, senior committee Democrat Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) led efforts to pass legislation, including the Fair Minimum Wage Act, the Paycheck Fairness Act, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and the Robert C. Byrd Min… Continue Reading
Miller-Courtney Letter Calls for Action on Mine Safety Legislation, Recognizes Fourth Anniversary of Upper Big Branch Disaster
04.04.14 WASHINGTON— The House Republican majority still has not considered legislation to improve mine safety and close glaring loopholes in our nation’s mine safety laws that could help save miners’ lives, even as we mark the fourth anniversary of the deadliest U.S. coal mine tragedy in the last 40 years. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, today sent a letter to committee Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.) requesting that the committee mark up… Continue Reading
Labor Dept. Protecting Americans’ Economic Security, But Congress Must Support Workers and Raise Minimum Wage, Committee Learns
03.26.14 WASHINGTON-While U.S. Department of Labor initiatives will help increase working families' income and put Americans back to work, Republicans in Congress continue to hold up legislative proposals to strengthen the economy, members learned at a hearing with Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez today. "The core principle [behind the Labor Department's budget] is as American as they come: the notion that if you work hard and play by the rules, you should have the opportunity to succeed," said Perez, wh… Continue Reading
House Dems Seek International Labor Accord on Gender-Based Violence at Work
03.12.14 WASHINGTON—In advance of this month’s International Labour Organization (ILO) Governing Board meeting, leading Democratic lawmakers today asked the Obama Administration to support the ILO’s efforts to combat gender-based violence in the workplace around the world and across industries. Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and 34 other Democratic Representatives sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Labor Tom Perez seeking their backing for a proposed … Continue Reading