Guild Members
Ratify Company's Contract Offer and End Seven-Week Strike
The Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild's seven week strike against the
Seattle Times ended on Jan. 8, 2001, when unit members voted 359-116 in
reluctant approval of a contract that was not much different than the
package offered by the Times before the strike began. Of the 870
Guild-represented workers at the Times, approximately 200 crossed the
picket lines and publication and distribution of both newspapers
continued during the strike. The composing room unit represented by a
sister local, Communications Workers of America Local 14761, had struck
in conjunction with the Guild when it walked out on Nov. 21, 2000. It
approved its contract by a vote of 45-17.
106th Congress - Legislative
Round-up
Postal
The House Government
Reform Committee failed to vote on HR 22, the Postal Modernization Act.
Republicans and Democrats expressed concern over moving the legislation
forward because of its controversial provisions allowing the USPS to set
its own rates, without an extensive review by the Postal Rate
Commission. NAA opposed the legislation because of these pricing
flexibility provisions, particularly language allowing the USPS to give
special contract rates to our large advertising mail
competitors.
Estate Taxes
Even though the repeal
of the federal estate tax did not cross the finish line, NAA is pleased
with the progress has been made in building momentum for estate tax
reform. The House and Senate passed a death tax repeal bill with strong
bipartisan support and both presidential candidates have either talked
about the need for reform or elimination of this devastating tax. Public
sentiment for estate tax repeal grows as voters in South Dakota and
Montana recently approved measures repealing their state inheritance
taxes.
Sports Fantasy Games
Proponents of a ban
on Internet gambling failed to attach such a prohibition on a free
standing appropriations bill before the end of the Congress. In the last
few weeks in the legislative session, NAA worked on legislative language
to carve-out sports fantasy games and educational contests from the
proposed ban.
Database Protection Legislation
Efforts to move database legislation were unsuccessful due in large
part to jurisdictional issues between the House Commerce and Judiciary
Committees. While the staff of both committees negotiated through
mid-October on the two competing database bills (HR 354 & HR 1858),
they were unable to reach an agreement. Proponents of database
protection, Representative Howard Coble (R-NC) and Senator DeWine
(R-Ohio) both gave floor speeches at the end of the session expressing
the desire to move database legislation next year.
OSHA Finalizes Ergonomics Standard
The
Occupational Safety and Health Administration on November 14, 2000
published in the Federal Register (65 Fed. Reg. 68262-68870) the final
Ergonomics Program Standard requiring all businesses to establish an
ergonomics program if an employee is injured by, or at risk of, a
musculoskeletal disorder, such as carpal tunnel syndrome or lower back
pain. The standard will go into effect on January 16, 2001, but
employers will not be required to comply until October 14, 2001.
OSHA published a draft rule in November 1999 that originally
covered industries involving material handling and manufacturing. The
final rule is significantly broader than the draft proposal since it
covers all employers in general industry, except maritime, construction,
agriculture and railroad operations.
The final standard contains
a controversial provision requiring employers to pay up to 90 percent of
an employee's wages and benefits during an injured worker's
recuperation. The final rule, however, shortened the length of time for
providing this wage replacement from 6 months to 3 months, and employers
are allowed to tap into a worker's sick or disability leave to help pay
the injured worker. Workers placed on "light duty" would receive 100
percent of wages and benefits for 3 months.
The standard also
contains provisions that were never subjected to public review. For
instance, the standard provides examples of risk factors and levels of
exposure that would "trigger" a comprehensive ergonomics program. These
so-called "action triggers" include activities such as the use of a
keyboard and/or mouse in a steady manner for more than 4 hours a day and
repeating a cycle of motions more than 2 times a minute for more than 2
consecutive hours. NAA believes these thresholds are too low and would,
in effect, extend the regulatory reach of the rule to almost every
business in America.
For more than a decade, newspapers have
implemented sound ergonomic programs at all levels of newspaper
operations. Because of the industry's proactive position on ergonomics,
NAA had filed public comments asking OSHA to abandon the mandatory
ergonomics standard in favor of voluntary guidelines that will assist
employers, especially small businesses, in setting up or refining
ergonomic processes.
Business organizations including the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers have
already filed lawsuits in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of
Columbia Circuit seeking a review of the OSHA standard. NAA will likely
support the legal challenge to the rule, as it appears that this is the
only remedy for correcting this far-reaching and onerous mandate. For
further information, contact Paul Boyle, boylp@naa.org; (202) 638-4784.
Click here for the full text of the rule located on OSHA’s
Ergonomics World Wide Web site.
NAA
Summary of OSHA Ergonomics Standard
For further information
contact Paul Boyle, vice
president/government affairs, or Don
Hensel, environmental and safety services manager.
NAA has developed a training
manual and two
videos to assist member newspapers in developing an ergonomics
program with the six programmatic elements outlined in the proposed OSHA
standard. The complete ergonomics kit can be ordered by calling 1 (800)
651-4NAA (reference item 10058).
Recycling Is a Part of Life