021037 UFCW Bashes Bush Admin's “Business Buddies”

Washington - The Bush Administration approach to government operation seems to be to establish a set of "business buddies" to shadow federal regulatory and enforcement agencies. These partnership programs or alliances effectively put a fox in every henhouse with government sponsorship. Workers, consumers and taxpayers are left to fend for themselves as the corporate-government insiders are locked in a big group hug.

The Bush Administration's newest "business buddy" is the American Meat Institute (AMI) representing the industries that top the list in worker injury and illness, particularly ergonomic injuries.

Yesterday, Assistant Secretary of Labor John Henshaw speaking to the AMI's Board of Directors in New Orleans announced an AMI/Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) alliance to "further promote safe working conditions for meat industry workers." Workers and worker organizations were noticeably absent from the alliance. The Administration and the AMI got together last year to kill the ergonomic standard and to expose thousands of poultry and packinghouse workers to needless painful and crippling injuries.

Twelve years ago, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) worked hand-in-hand with OSHA and leading meatpackers to develop safety guidelines for the red meat industry. The UFCW has directly developed several successful worksite ergonomics programs with major food corporations. Worker involvement works. Today, the Bush Administration left workers and their union out in the cold.

The twisted hands and arms, the surgical scares, the workers no longer able to lift their children as the result of poultry and packinghouse work were all well out of sight as the government and business buddies patted themselves on the back. The big grins that accompanied the announcement cannot hide the grim statistics-one out of four workers the packing industry is injured every year and poultry and packing plants lead the nation in causing musculoskeletal disorders.

OSHA is the chief enforcement agency to protect workers from work-related injury and illness. It is supposed to respond to workers' calls on workplace hazards and to protect workers from corporate retaliation. OSHA didn't form an alliance with workers or workers organizations. Instead, workers got the picture today of OSHA and the boss walking in lockstep. Workers have to wonder how fair will the enforcement be among buddies.

Doug Dority, International President of the 1.4 million member UFCW, urged direct and simple action for workers, "Vote! It is the only way for workers to break the corporate stranglehold on government."

The union leader promised to make sure that every packinghouse worker got the picture from New Orleans. "A picture is worth a thousand words. The Bush Administration official responsible for worker safety is standing with the bosses, not the workers. Workers will vote accordingly."

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