Potential boost to H-2A program

• The U.S. Department of Labor proposed a new rule that would strengthen protections for farm workers in the H-2A program and help prevent abuses that undermine wages and standards for all agricultural workers.
• The proposed rule would add new protections for worker self-advocacy, better protect workers against retaliation, make foreign labor recruitment more transparent, and enhance the department’s enforcement.
• This proposal builds on a final rule the department published in October 2022 that modernized key aspects of the H-2A program.
• The rule would improve workers’ ability to advocate for better working conditions by expanding and clarifying existing anti-retaliation protections.
  Read more

Union says states should control trucks

• Federal regulation of autonomous vehicles shouldn’t preempt state actions governing self-driving trucks, according to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
• The group released a policy proposal on the eve of the U.S. of Representatives House hearing on automation in the trucking industry.
• The union doesn’t want federal lawmakers to take any actions that undermine hard-won victories at the state level.
• Union wants state transportation powers that need protection.

New rules for rail operators

• The U.S. Surface Transportation Board released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would give rail users access to reciprocal switching in an effort to cope with poor carrier performance.
• This action has been hailed as “an important step in addressing the many freight rail service concerns expressed by stakeholders since 2016.”
• The STB began extensive hearings on rail service problems in April 2022 and has repeatedly criticized the railways for ongoing service failures following repeated complaints from cargo owners about service problems and delays by rail carriers.
• The proposed rules set specific, objective, and measurable criteria when reciprocal switching is warranted, which would give shippers predictability and show carriers what is expected of them.
  Read more

Cintas earns OSHA honors

• OSHA honored two Cintas Corp. divisions in Illinois — Elk Grove Village and Woodridge, —as VPP Star certified.
• Companies that have earned a VPP Star designation have achieved injury and illness rates at or below the national average of their respective industries and have established strong workplace hazard control programs.
• Cintas helps more than 1 million businesses of all types and sizes by providing products and services that help keep facilities clean and safe.
• The company’s products include uniforms, mats, mops, towels, restroom supplies, workplace water services, first aid and safety products, eyewash stations, safety training, fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems, alarm service and other goods.
  Read more