On April 16, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) amended existing rules to better protect miners from health hazards associated with toxic rock dust. Silica dust or quartz dust, formally called respirable crystalline silica, is a carcinogen that causes serious diseases when inhaled, including black lung disease (also called silicosis), lung cancer, progressive massive fibrosis, chronic bronchitis and kidney disease. On June 27, House Republicans passed a budget provision prohibiting DOL from using funding to enforce the revised rule, drawing a rebuke from Cecil Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers of America. He called the provision “a direct attack…

Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) is proposing cutting the standard 40-hour workweek down to 32 hours in the hopes of rebalancing worker productivity and stress. In March, Sanders introduced legislation that would require employers to pay employees overtime for any time worked over 32 hours in one week. Employers would also be prohibited from reducing employees’ pay and benefits as a result of the reduction in hours. Sanders argued that with advances in technology, worker productivity has increased, some studies suggest by as much as 400%, since the 40-hour workweek was set by the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1940. He…

Capitol Hill staffers are pushing to unionize and now have the support of the majority of House Democrats, who signed a resolution in February supporting the effort. The logistics of running such a union, however, are presenting a hurdle for moving forward. The Congressional Workers Union publicly launched in early 2022 after organizing for more than a year with the aim of helping staffers feel more protected at work. “While not all offices and committees face the same working conditions, we strongly believe that to better serve our constituents will require meaningful changes to improve retention, equity, diversity and inclusion…