No Demand for OSHA Gutting in Project 2025

PolitiFact reported that Project 2025 doesn’t call for eliminating OSHA or overtime, just for changes.
Project 2025, a conservative manifesto proposed by a coalition of more than 100 groups under the aegis of the Heritage Foundation, advocates for broad changes to the federal government under the next Republican president.
“Contrary to social media claims, the policy plan does not call to eliminate the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or banning overtime wages,” according to PolitiFact, which is a project of the Poynter Institute.
It noted that Project 2025 does seek changes to some OSHA regulations and to overtime rules. If enacted, the changes could result in some loss of overtime protections.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump last week claimed he has “no idea who is behind” the conservative blueprint.
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Dollar General will pay $12 million and make changes to its workplace standards and practices to settle OSHA allegations OSHA with lax procedures in place concerning access to electrical panels and fire extinguishers, exits being blocked, and materials storage.
The discount retailer will also report quarterly to OSHA and the Department of Labor with the results of these changes.
“This agreement commits Dollar General to make worker safety a priority by implementing significant and systematic changes in its operations to improve accountability and compliance, and it gives Dollar General employees essential input on ensuring their own health and safety, said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Douglas Parker.
The retailer will also have 48 hours to resolve any repeat issues. Failure to do so will result in “monetary assessments of $100,000 per day of violation, up to $500,000, as well as OSHA inspection and enforcement actions.”
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A year after the City Union of Baltimore documented poor workplace conditions citywide, Inspector General Isabel Cumming said little has changed.
In a May 2023 report, the union claimed Baltimore City government workers were subjected to “egregiously” unsafe conditions.
The IG last week issued an emergency report citing a lack of ice, bottled water and air conditioning for sanitation workers at the Cherry Hill Solid Waste Yard.
She said her latest findings are “just the tip of the iceberg.”
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A group of Wichita-area general contractors, OSHA, and state and local agencies have formed a new safety alliance to focus on workers’ mental health and prevent injuries by providing training and educational programs.
The alliance grew out of discussions concerning prevalence of suicides and mental health struggles among construction workers, said Todd Underwood, OSHA area director for Wichita.
“This alliance is the first of its kind … in the state of Kansas that brings all these parties together to share resources,” said Mike Gibson, executive vice president of Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Kansas.
The group includes AGC and its Kansas Construction Safety Network, OSHA, the state Department of Labor’s Industrial Safety and Health Division, and Mental Health America of South-Central Kansas.
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