Secretary-Treasurer, Fred Redmond, from the AFL-CIO, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast for another installment of First Friday with Fred.
Redmond discussed issues with Julie Su’s confirmation hearing and when he expects a vote for the new Secretary of Labor. Currently, there are a few Democrats who have not given Su their backing as President Biden’s nomination. Redmond believes Su is a workers’ nominee who has shown in her previous work that she supports workers’ rights at every opportunity. There is expected to be a vote in Congress for Su’s confirmation sometime in May, according to Redmond.
There have been many ideas for new cuts to the federal budget. One of the recent proposals came from Arizona’s Representative Andy Biggs (R-Mesa), who proposed eliminating funding to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Redmond believes this is a significant offense to all working individuals in America. He added that without OSHA, many of the safety protocols in place for workers would be eliminated.
Since its founding in 1970, workplace deaths have decreased from 38 to 14 deaths per day, while the workforce has more than doubled over the same time. Redmond said that eliminating OSHA would immediately put workers at a disadvantage. There would be no safety protocols, no worker protections and workers would be at the mercy of their employers.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more.