Happy Holidays

Thank you, Jim Moran 

On November 21, workers everywhere lost a champion with the passing of Jim Moran. Jim was a fierce advocate for workers' health and safety and a dear friend to so many in the labor movement. Jim along with Rick Engler co-founded PhilaPOSH in 1975. In 1981, they successfully advocated for Philadelphia City Council to pass a Right-to-Know law that required companies to disclose if they were using certain toxic chemicals -- the strongest such law in the nation at the time.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Jim will be remembered for his love of the Philadelphia Eagles. We will miss his fighting spirt, sense of humor and most of all his smile. Read more about Jim and his life's work here. 
 

HSN Making Progress on School Mercury Flooring Issue

Healthy Schools Now continues to advocate for the identification, testing, and remediation of rubberized flooring made using phenylmercuric acetate (PMA), which were widely installed in schools, retirement homes, community centers, and other public spaces across our country starting in the 1960s. 

In response to our work, the NJ Schools Development Authority (SDA), began the SDA Mercury Flooring Initiative in 2020. First performing inspections at over 140 SDA-delivered projects to identify where the subject flooring was installed, followed by bulk sample testing at those facilities that contained poured rubberized floors. Finally, a small percentage of the facilities were identified as appropriate for air testing based upon the results of bulk sampling. This step is ongoing.

On December 1, Senator Cory Booker introduced legislation, which HSN and partners helped develop, S4934: The Mercury Vapor Study Act of 2020, which would help address this potential health hazard by requiring federal agencies to study the impact on human health of mercury vapor from PMA flooring and develop an official risk assessment model. The bill also requires that the agencies create a registry of schools with PMA flooring and make schools aware of the risk from these floors, and best practices to mitigate the risk of mercury vapor exposure.

The HSN Coalition, WEC IH team, and partner NJEA, have been successful in assisting several districts in removing these floors. We continue to demand that the state of New Jersey identify, test, and fund the remediation and removal of rubberized floors contaminated with mercury in our schools as well as place a ban on any future installation of polyurethane/rubberized floors that contain mercury catalysts. 

Please sign our petition and join us in demanding that Governor Murphy and the Legislators immediately take action to protect school staff and students from toxic mercury vapor. 

Save the Date: Time for Turbines 2021!

We’re thrilled to announce that Time for Turbines IV will take place in the new year on January 26th-27th. The 2021 edition of our offshore wind conference will be different in a couple of important ways: it will be virtual, and it will be free!

Time for Turbines is an annual conference convened by Jersey Renews that brings together policymakers, labor and environmental advocates to discuss current issues and opportunities in New Jersey’s rapidly expanding offshore wind program. 

This year’s theme is Building a New Green Workforce: Training and Access for Offshore Wind Jobs. Speakers will focus on workforce development and equity in the offshore wind industry, with an emphasis on identifying access barriers to good jobs in this field and offering policy solutions. We’ll hear from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority about the launch of the cutting-edge Wind Institute, which will coordinate workforce development specifically for offshore wind.

It’s been a big year for offshore wind, so we’ll also hear the latest information on the NJ Wind Port, the state’s progress toward 7500 megawatts by 2035 (spoiler: we’re ahead of schedule!), and commitments made to ensure that this new industry benefits local NJ communities. 

Our panelists will respond to these developments in conversations about how to create long-term jobs through building out renewable manufacturing in our region, mitigate the environmental impacts of wind energy, and more.

The conference will run from 9 am-1 pm each day, followed by a virtual networking space where you’ll have the opportunity to connect with other attendees according to your field and interests. 

See you in January!

Workers at Meatpacking Plants in Extreme Danger of COVID19

The meatpacking industry has a long history of exploiting its workers, often employing undocumented workers whose employers feel they can abuse with impunity due to the fear of deportation. 

That’s why it’s shocking, horrific, unacceptable, but perhaps not altogether surprising that workers in the meatpacking industry have suffered an enormous amount of COVID19 cases, largely due to inadequate health and safety measures, according to a recent study.

Trump issued an executive order on April 28 directing meatpackers to reopen closed facilities, and the administration eschewed mandatory Covid-19 safety regulation, opting instead for voluntary industry guidelines.”

Dr. David Michaels, who previously headed OSHA under President Obama, and who spoke on WEC’s weekly COVID19 Webinar Series, is quoted in the article noting that this study is evidence that “...workplace exposures play an important role in driving the pandemic in the U.S.” and that “If we don’t make workplaces safe, it will be difficult to stop the pandemic, save lives and reopen the economy...”