On May 21, 老牛影视joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a coalition of听business groups in听filing a in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Waco Division against the U.S. Department of Labor鈥檚 Occupational Safety and Health Administration鈥檚 . Read the announcing the lawsuit.

Effective on May 31, the final rule will allow听employees to choose a third-party representative, such as an outside union representative or community organizer, to accompany an OSHA safety inspector during site inspections, regardless of whether the workplace is unionized or not.

Now, construction employees and employers could face serious safety concerns because听the final rule听has the potential to allow anyone on a jobsite. There simply is no business case for this final rule and no benefit during a compliance inspection.

By allowing outside union agents access to nonunion employers鈥� private property, OSHA is injecting itself into labor-management disputes and casting doubt on its status as a neutral enforcer of the law. This final rule negatively impacts the rights of employers while simultaneously ignoring the rights of the majority of employees who have not authorized a union to represent them. OSHA鈥檚 rule also poses unnecessary risk to the individual joining the inspection and others on the jobsite if the authorized person is not trained听to safely walk a construction jobsite. The rule does not include any requirement that the authorized person be equipped or conduct themselves to the same standards as OSHA safety inspectors. Further, the final rule fails to answer who is legally responsible if the third party gets injured during the inspection or harms someone else.

In addition to the lawsuit, on May 17, ABC, as a steering committee member of the , and 57 other employer organizations sent a听听to members of the U.S. House of Representatives urging them to pass Rep. Mary Miller鈥檚, R-Ill., Congressional Review Act resolution to nullify the final rule.

The CWS letter states, 鈥淭he resolution is vital to safeguarding the mission of workplace health and safety inspections. Without this legislation, OSHA CSHOs will be forced into an impossible position of policing labor disputes, for which they are simply unequipped. It would protect employers against individuals looking to further their own agendas and safeguard their property rights. It would also protect workers鈥� right to have their voice heard when determining workplace representation.鈥�

Background on the final rule:

On March 29, OSHA announced its听 and 老牛影视issued a听news release听opposing the rule.

OSHA Resources on the final rule:

On Nov. 13, 2023, 老牛影视submitted听听urging the DOL to withdraw its听听proposed rule. 老牛影视also signed on to comments submitted by the听and听.

Continue to monitor Newsline for further updates on the lawsuit.