What has Obama Ever Done for...Worker Safety?

At a time when workers are under attack by big corporations, special interests, and their cronies in government, President Obama has been an unyielding friend to working men and women. He has stayed true to the vision he outlined to the UFCW nearly four years ago. He is the only candidate for President in 2012 that has our interests at heart. 

Despite what the opposition is saying, President Obama has taken great leaps and bounds to improve the quality of life for the working class in our country, and has taken great steps to ensure worker safety:

• Pursuing two standards petitioned for by UFCW:

• Combustible dust, which has been linked to workplace explosions
• Diacetyl, which has been linked to fatal lung disease

• Working on a third standard: Ergonomics and Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), which were not given attention during the Bush administration

• Implemented Severe Violators Initiative which focuses enforcement efforts on employers who willfully and repeatedly endanger workers by exposing them to serious hazards

• Initiated National Emphasis Program (NEP), which focuses inspections at plants where there are a low number of reported injuries as a way to investigate under-reporting of injuries

• Issued new criteria for participation in the Salmonella Inspection Pilot that requires participating poultry facilities to allow researchers from the National Institute for Safety and Health to have access to workers in order to measure the effect increased line speed has on their health and safety

• Proposed regulation on USDA procurement requiring contractors and subcontractors to certify they are in compliance with applicable labor laws

It's time for President Obama's critics to look at the facts.  The President has served as a continuous ally for the working people of America by looking out for their well-being, striving to make sure our country's middle class can succeed, by protecting our workers. To read more about what President Obama has done for to help ensure worker safety, and what we must do to make sure he has four more years in office to finish his work, check out VoteUFCW.org.