AFL-CIO Sues To Protect Labor Against COVID-19

Today, the AFL-CIO, representing millions of workers across the U.S., filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to force the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to adopt stricter safety standards for workplaces during the COVID-19 pandemic, as many states "reopen" for business, often disregarding the phased guidelines issued by the coronavirus task force. Malignant narcissist and corrupt con man Donald "Disinfectant Donnie" Trump has been overtly encouraging states to prematurely open in violation of policies he approved. Workers are often left with the choice of returning to a potentially deadly work environment or losing their jobs.

In a statement announcing the lawsuit, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said:

“It’s truly a sad day in America when working people must sue the organization tasked with protecting our health and safety. But we’ve been left no choice. Millions are infected and nearly 90,000 have died, so it’s beyond urgent that action is taken to protect workers who risk our lives daily to respond to this public health emergency. If the Trump administration refuses to act, we must compel them to.”

Many front line workers in health care, food services, trucking, and public safety have yet to receive the Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) necessary to protect themselves, as Trump has walked away from responsibility, saying the Federal Government isn't a "shipping clerk" and refusing to make full use of the Defense Production Act to produce PPE, while perversely using it to order meat processing plants to stay open despite virus outbreaks there.