MANDATORY OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH COVERAGE IN THE SCHOOLS

WHEREAS, those who are employed in public education make up a substantial portion of the total workforce; and

WHEREAS, teachers and other school workers have labored for many years without adequate safety and health protections; and

WHEREAS, public employment does not render individual workers immune to injuries and illness in the course of their work, merely because they are paid by the government; and

WHEREAS, thousands of teachers and other school workers and experiencing job-related deaths, injuries, and illnesses every year; and

WHEREAS, it is to the betterment of each individual employee and to the public itself that adequate safety and health protection be provided at the workplace; and

WHEREAS, the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) does not provide for mandatory coverage for public employees. The need for such coverage for public employees is clearly apparent:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers affirm its total support for this concept of safety and health protection for all public employees, urging the Congress and the administration to quickly enact legislation providing public employees with safety and health protection guaranteed to other workers.