Bush Signs Congress's Repeal of Work

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Bush Signs Congress's Repeal of Work Safety Rule

By Randall Mikkelsen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush (news - web sites) on Tuesday signed Congress's first-ever repeal of a workplace rule, striking down a regulation opposed by businesses as too costly but championed by unions as a critical safety measure.

The regulation aimed to reduce repetitive strain injuries suffered by an estimated 1 million American workers. It would have required employers to take steps to prevent disorders such as tendinitis or carpal tunnel syndrome.

``In exchange for uncertain benefits, the ergonomics rule would have cost both large and small employers billions of dollars and presented employers with overwhelming compliance challenges,'' Bush said in a statement.

The congressional resolution Bush signed scraps a federal safety regulation implemented four days before former President Clinton (news - web sites) left office.

The AFL-CIO, the largest U.S. trade union federation, immediately denounced the action as an ``assault'' on workers at the behest of big business.

``Ergonomic injuries are our nation's biggest workplace safety problem ... killing this worker safety standard will result in hundreds of thousands more such injuries,'' AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said in a release.

The Republican-controlled Congress passed the repeal two weeks ago largely along party lines. It was the first time Congress invoked the Congressional Review Act of 1996, which allows the body to overturn executive branch regulations, and Bush said the act was properly applied.

``This resolution is a good and proper use of the act because the different branches of our government need to be held accountable,'' he said.

The disorders targeted by the rejected rule are caused by repetitive motion, such as regular lifting, repeated arm movements or typing.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (news - web sites) had said the rule would prevent 460,000 injuries a year. But one business group put its annual cost at $125.6 billion.

A January report by the National Academy of Sciences (news - web sites) said the disorders affect about 1 million U.S. workers and cost $45 billion to $54 billion.

Democrats had denounced the repeal by Congress as a cave-in to corporate lobbyists, and Sweeney echoed the denunciation on Tuesday.

``This calculated assault on America's working families led by Bush and congressional Republicans at the behest of big business is part of a concerted effort to repress workers and weaken unions in America in order to further tilt the political balance in this country in favor of corporate power,'' he said.

A White House spokesman denied Bush was catering to big business, which has had a string of policy victories in the White House and Congress since the president took office, and ignoring labor interests.

``The president thinks that we are all in this together, business, labor, consumer,'' spokesman Ari Fleischer (news - web sites) said.

He said Bush had directed Labor Secretary Elaine Chao to find ways to protect workers' health and safety without hurting businesses. Chao has said she would consider issuing a different ergonomics rule.

A weakening economy also made Bush's approval of the repeal timely, Fleischer said. ``He believes that we can protect the health and safety of workers without passing a regulation that is terribly burdensome to the economy and to the small businesses on which their growth depends,'' he said.

``Particularly, in this time of fragile economic circumstances, he does not want to take any action that would hurt economic growth and cost small businesses and other businesses billions of dollars,'' he said.

-- (compassionate conservative @ to. corporations), March 21, 2001

Answers

One right after the other, Bush has kissed the ass of big business over the human beings in this country. Is he in a race to pay back all of his big contributers before the country rises up and demands his removal from office?

-- Cherri (jessam5@home.com), March 22, 2001.

I think you hit the nail right on the head Cherri!

The bankruptcy reform was one of the first things on his plate, and here is the obvious reason why....

"MBNA America Bank, a large issuer of credit cards, was the single largest contributor to Bush's campaign in the last election, according to an election watchdog group."

-- (dumbya @ compassionate. my ass), March 22, 2001.


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