coshnet's blog

Criminal trial in Midnight Rider case set for March, 2015

Reports that a second Dallas hospital worker has been infected with the Ebola virus show the need for stronger and more comprehensive on-the-job protections for health care workers.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Nina Pham, Amber Vinson and their families,” said National COSH executive director Mary Vogel. “We’re also thinking of all the health care workers across America who are exposed, every day, to serious risks to their own health and safety.”

Yesterday, California’s Governor Jerry Brown signed landmark legislation that will provide significant new protections for subcontracted employees. Under the new law, host employers and their staffing firms will have to jointly take responsibility for the health, safety, and basic workers’ rights of temporary employees.

The clock is ticking.

Shortly before adjourning for the year, the California legislature passed a landmark bill which offers key health and safety protections for temporary and contract workers. Now the legislation is on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk, awaiting his signature or veto.

The scourge of black lung disease has made a major, tragic resurgence in Appalachia, according to researchers for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

McDonald’s is now responsible for labor law violations committed in its restaurants — even if the store is owned by a franchisee. That’s the essence of a finding this week by the general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board, which stems from strikes by fast food workers for higher wages, and allegations of firings and other illegal retaliation.

Who's your boss?

For an increasing number of American workers, it's a hard question to answer. To cut costs and avoid liability, more companies are hiring workers on a temporary or contract basis. More than 17 million people, 12 percent of the U.S. workforce, are now employed as temps, contract or freelance workers.