Worker Safety, Injury Prevention, and Quality Care for Injured Workers

We support increasing penalties for assaulting workers while they are performing their duties by making such assaults a Class E felony.

Increase penalties for drivers who violate traffic laws and repeat offenses and increase criminal penalties for assaulting transportation workers.

Continue efforts to ensure injured and ill workers receive timely, high-quality healthcare, effective medication, and adequate benefits to help make ends meet during their illness, injury, or upon their death.
Support initiatives to prevent the insurance industry from exploiting union employers by overcharging for insurance coverage and shifting onto union employers the cost of excess losses incurred by low-road employers who operate dangerous workplaces.
Oppose attempts to roll back benefits or impede access to care or medication.

This act requires employers to provide personal protective equipment, hydration, shade, rest periods, health monitoring and other appropriate steps to mitigate risks due to climate and temperature extremes.

This bill improves an existing safety law to require specific remedies such as installation of protective barriers, body scanners, enclosures or metal detectors, and silent alarm systems when assessments find areas where potential violence may occur. The bill also creates penalties and stronger enforcement options for the Commissioner of Labor to ensure corrective actions are taken.

Section 103(16) of the General Municipal Law allows localities and school districts to circumvent traditional competitive bidding requirements in making certain purchases (“cooperative purchasing” or “piggybacking”).
Courts recently found this provision does not apply to public works construction. Any attempt to enable such cooperative purchasing for construction projects must also include labor standards, such as PLA requirements, to protect the workforce.