New Silica Rule Announced

JOURNAL: ISSUE 2 - 2016

Silica Rule Announced. Since the last  Journal was delivered to you, there have been a few important developments in our fight for the health and safety of our members and unorganized Craftworkers in our trades. On March 24th, U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez and officials from OSHA announced a long-awaited and hard-won update to the Silica Rule. The changes are significant and will improve the safety and health of BAC members throughout the U.S. for years to come (see page 14 for more coverage).

Silica exposure can lead to more than silicosis, a non-reversible, sometimes fatal, but preventable, lung disease. Exposure is also associated with other debilitating diseases, including lung cancer, kidney disease and chronic bronchitis. To a lesser extent, there is cause for concern that silica exposures may be associated with auto-immune disorders and cardiovascular disease. 
Recently our communications team sent out email and text alerts asking you to contact us if you’ve been affected by silica exposure. We have been getting a great response, but we need to hear from EVERY member who has gotten sick or otherwise been impacted by silica exposure. If you or someone in your family has been affected, please text SILICA to 877877 or visit bacweb.org, click on “Training, Education and Safety,” then “Safety and Health,” and “Save Our Standard.”

We won the battle but the war isn’t over yet. Our opponents in Congress have already begun to mobilize against us, and on April 19th, a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections was held to begin the process of attempting to overturn the Rule. They were greeted by more than fifty BAC members ready to fight to save our standard. This is our rallying cry; we say no more waiting, no more members getting sick from an honest day’s work because employers aren’t providing proper safety equipment, no more prioritizing profits over people’s lives. We say “Save Our Standard!”

Why Politics Matter. The Standard is being challenged in the Courts - we need a President that will stand behind the Department of Labor - that will insist that OSHA fight to “Save Our Standard.” And we need a fully-functioning Supreme Court to uphold OSHA’s action in the final legal analysis. In Congress, Representative Tim Walberg (R-MI), Chair of the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, spoke against the rule stating that “In my second job [after high school] ...I mixed a lot of mortar, I cut a lot of tile and bricks...I am sure that the policies that are in place now weren’t in place back in 1969, and I’m still breathing ok.” Note that he offered no commitment to protect workers whose lives are being destroyed by preventable illness caused by silica exposure. 

Contrast that with Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (D-FL) who is the ranking Democrat on the Subcommittee. Following the hearing, Rep. Wilson spoke with BAC members Tim Brown, Dale McNabb and Tom Ward about their experiences. “To hear these workers’ stories, to listen to their words, is to understand the importance of this final rule. You cannot put a price on the life, happiness, or survival of a worker.” 

Congressman Walberg is running for re-election this November, and is considered a toss-up, meaning that it is a race where members’ voices and votes can make the difference. There are races like this throughout the country, where incumbents have either supported working people or they haven’t. We MUST make sure that our voices are heard because we need a Congress that will work with our new President and fight for workplace safety.

The primary process is almost over; if you weren’t registered to vote in the primaries, now is the time to register to vote in November. We must support those who support us, and defeat those who put profits before people.