Political Quotes

“As the former Labor Commissioner for the State of New York, I have a long standing and well known concern for workers rights and worker protection. I strongly believe that our workers are companies' best asset. Our workers are some of the best educated and most productive in the world and they deserve protection from unhealthy worker environments. For this reason I was pleased to see the U.S. Department of Labor work to address workplace injuries. Unfortunately, the rule put forward by the Department of Labor is unnecessarily broad and overreaching. Rather than being limited to jobs that involve numerous repetitive motions or excessive lifting, OSHA has created a rule so enormous in its scope that it regulates every motion in the workplace. Additionally, specific parts of the proposal have been identified by small business as costly and troublesome; a charge I take very seriously. Furthermore, there are charges that many non-work related factors may increase the likelihood of injury, yet OSHA's standard holds employers accountable. Lastly, some critics say there is a lack of consensus in scientific communities as to the causes and proven remedies for repetitive stress injuries. Two specific concerns prompt me to cast a vote of no confidence on the ergonomics rule. Besides the legitimate concerns I have already discussed, I am skeptical of regulations that are put into effect during the final days of an Administration that had eight years to promulgate them.”