From Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO –
DES MOINES – The irresponsible Federal Government shutdown has resulted in layoff notices being issued to 69 Iowa Workforce Development employees. Two of the hardest hit areas are health and safety, and job assistance for veterans. All Industrial Hygienists who worked in the field have been laid off. These Industrial Hygienists handle investigations of fatalities, injuries, and complaints for hazards such as air quality, confined space, and ergonomic issues.
In addition, on October 17th, fourteen Compliance/Consultation Officers will be laid off. Without these consultation officers, those businesses that do the right thing and seek to work with their employees and Iowa OSHA to improve workplace safety will be unable to do so.
Iowa Federation of Labor President and Iowa Workforce Development Board Member Ken Sagar said, “It is clear that the Republican controlled House has not thought through the consequences of their actions. Currently there are only 230 of the 2235 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) employees active for the whole United States, and within the next few days there will only be three IOSHA inspectors for the state of Iowa. This total disregard for the safety and well being of working women and men is unacceptable.”
Sagar continued, “A minority in the House of Representative has taken the country hostage, placing millions in harm’s way. This hostage taking is undemocratic. The U.S. Constitution established a process for passing or repealing legislation, and it does not involve allowing one faction of one party in one house of one branch of government to impose its widely unpopular agenda by threatening to shut down the government and cause the U.S. government to default.”
It seems as if the last few years the democrats have become so stupid, always blaming others for their own mistakes. Even though I have spent the majority of my life either in the military or law enforcement and have carried a weapon legally for over 30 years I am not a violent person but I believe the only way this country is to survive is to take a majority of these democrats and put a bullet in their head. Ok now with the comebacks, let them rip.
@Maybe, I feel your pain and also am against violence but I see a picture more like, put an apple in Ken Sagar’s mouth and think about roasting him. At least that would make his life more memorable.
at this rate I guess an apple is cheaper than a bullet.
Typical Union B.S. It sure seems to me that Osama Obama is the one who is refusing to negotiate and the Republicans have passed amendment after amendment trying to open essential parts of the government and have been turned down every time. No that being said, I am pretty unhappy with both the Democrats and the Republicans and especially the senate who went on vacation instead of taking care of this last summer. They should all be thrown out.
If the unions were that concerned about safety, where have they been the past couple of years while this problem has been building, and done nothing to prevent the catastrophic rise of our debt ceiling that has caused this situation?
everything in this article is true. The workforce in the USA is more dangerous now thanks to the tea party.
Willing to bet these were private citizens not Public Servants – heaven fordid lay off one of those union fatcats.
I’m so sick tired of the tax and spend liberal crowd. The country is going to hell and they still complain about needing more money for this and that. The gap between rich and poor is widening exactly because of the liberals policies. However, 45% of the people are to stupid to know the difference. You can’t enable people to prosperity. You can’t legislate happiness. We had the greatest system in the history of world and are destroying it. Sounds a lot like Obamacare which is in the process of destroying the greatest healthcare systemin the world .
How is the gap between rich and poor a liberal problem? The gap has been widening since Daddy Bush was in the White House and continued under his son. They enabled the rich to become richer on the backs of the front line workers. They enabled them to become richer by allowing them to move their companies overseas. They enabled them to become richer by allowing them tax subsidies for the companies they run and manage. They enabled them to become richer by ignoring the fact the companies they run were corrupt. We had the greatest healthcare system in the world? I don’t think so. Look at any statistics on healthcare worldwide and the US doesn’t come close to leading the world.
Bodacious, you say the Bush’s enabled the rich by moving jobs outside the US? Prove it, I don’t see it, there is no policy I can find that would back your statement. The US corporate tax rate is the highest in the industrial world, why would a company not want to save money by moving off shore? Companies do not exist to provide you a job, they are in business to make money.
By the way, Obama and Biden have been pounding their chest’s for saving Chrysler. Remember, “Detroit is alive” all over the campaign trail? Well, Chrysler just announced that they are moving to Mexico for production. Detroit is in Bankruptcy. How is that Hope and Change working out for you Liberals?
@John-How soon they forget that it was Clinton that put in NAFTA and started all this off shore movement. He made it easy for company’s to move to where ever they could make the most profit. It was the Democrats and Liberals that started this and promoted it and now they want to blame Bush. What a bunch of retards.
You are correct in your statement about NAFTA
The House of Representatives approved NAFTA on November 17, 1993, 234-200. The agreement’s supporters included 132 Republicans and 102 Democrats. NAFTA passed the Senate 61-38. Senate supporters were 34 Republicans and 27 Democrats. Clinton signed it into law on December 8, 1993; it went into effect on January 1, 1994.[3][4] Clinton, while signing the NAFTA bill, stated that “NAFTA means jobs. American jobs, and good-paying American jobs. If I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t support this agreement.”[5] Wikipedia
Jeez, look at all those republicans who signed it. And, it was George Bush senior who initially started it.
I started out as a republican then in the 90’s I switched to an independent. I lean alittle to the conservative side but lately I don’t know. Watch this video and it will answer quite a few questions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=0Ym4Xt0T6fM&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Ffeature%3Dplayer_detailpage%26v%3D0Ym4Xt0T6fM&app=desktop
@bodacious, how many years do you want us to give you liberals to blame things on Bush? We have more people out of work now than before Obama was elected. Employment didn’t start to drop until November 2008 when Obama was elected. (Business saw this coming.)
Chrysler never paid off the bail out that Obama gave them, Fiat paid part with the purchase but the rest is lost money for us tax payers. (This was Obama’s deal.) You blame Bush.
Everything that is wrong it goes back to “this is Bush’s fault by you liberals. Time to step up and put some blame on Obama. How long will it take for you Libs to stop blaming Bush?
John, I have been a President Obama supporter since he was first elected. I will admit that. I will also admit that he isn’t doing everything I would have hoped he would do. His luster is tarnished, I will agree. But, the Republicans have to share the blame and the Bush family was the beginning of this economic quandary we are in. The bailouts you speak of were necessary to ensure our economy would continue to be strong. The inability or unwillingness of those corporations to pay back are only 2 instances of companies who reneged on their responsibilities. Ford repaid their share. Out of the 421 billion dollars loaned in the bailout 371 million has been repaid. That is nearly 90%.
I will put some blame on the President. When will you Repubs admit that the Bushes had something to do with it?
@Bodacious. This just shows how many facts you have. You are a FRAUD and for people that take anything that you say worth more than a grain of salt are fools.
You stated, “The inability or unwillingness of those corporations to pay back are only 2 instances of companies who reneged on their responsibilities. ………Ford repaid their share.”
Ford never asked for a bail out and never received one, they had nothing to re-pay since they never asked for anything. This just shows your ignorance of the issues and when I see it, I call it out. Sorry for your lap dog liberal attitude.
John, I had kind of hoped you could discuss this without being an ass, but I guess not. Ford borrowed $5.9 billion from the government in 2009 to help them turn a profit by making their factories more able to produce fuel efficient cars. If that isn’t a bailout, then what is? I am sorry for your rabid dog conservative attitude.
@Bodacious that was hardly a bail out and before the whole auto thing went down in Detroit and you know it. Sit down and give it a rest, you don’t even have your facts straight on the correct story about Ford.
So, what is your point John? I think it was a bailout, you don’t. I do have my facts straight. You just don’t like them.