March 9, 2021

The Signatory Wall and Ceiling Contractors Alliance (SWACCA) was joined by other members of the Construction Employers of America (CEA) in sending a letter to the Department of Labor to help inform their deliberations regarding a COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). As you may recall, on January 21, 2021, President Joe Biden issued an “Executive Order on Protecting Worker Health and Safety” which, among other things, directed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to consider issuing an emergency temporary standard. The Executive Order gave OSHA until March 15 to decide whether an ETS was necessary.

In the letter, SWACCA and the other members of CEA write that as construction employers, our members understand that it is incumbent upon management to work with worker representatives to find effective, common sense solutions to protect workers and keep them safe on the job. The letter takes no position on whether OSHA should adopt a COVID ETS, but requests that if it does, the agency respect the labor management relationship by not applying the ETS to workplaces in which an employer and its union mutually agree on best practices, so long as they are faithfully adhered to by all parties.

The full letter can be accessed here.

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