NEW YORK, N.Y.—New York State should enact a law giving workers a voice in setting contagious-disease safety standards for their industries, several city unions urged at a rally in Greenwich Village Oct. 7.
“Who are the experts when it comes to safety in the workplace? The workers,” Teamsters Joint Council 16 President George Miranda told the about 35 people and a couple dozen reporters outside the Lenox Health Greenwich Village clinic. “They are sounding the alarm because they are not safe. We all know the second wave is coming.”
“Without enforceable standards, we’re still at risk,” said New York State Nurses Association President Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez. Employers who retaliate against workers who complain about unsafe conditions can’t be trusted to enforce standards themselves, she added.