February 2019 News & Updates Be Heard at the Cal/OSHA Standards Board All eyes are on the State Capitol these days, as the legislative session plows ahead and the Newsom Administration’s policy agenda takes form. But for safety and health advocates, the policies that shape the workplace are determined before California’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board. For a body making significant regulatory decisions for the world’s fifth largest economy, monthly Standards Board meetings have the feel of a town council meeting. For activists, that is something to be celebrated, because it provides an opportunity to be heard – and to make a significant impact. The March meeting in Pasadena is a particularly critical one. The Board will be voting on whether California should proceed with developing an emergency temporary standard to address exposure to wildfire smoke. Worksafe is one of the Petitioners for this standard. The March meeting also marks the close of the comment period on a rule to give employees the right to access their employer’s Injury and Illness Prevention Plan (IIPP). The proposed rule gives employees the right to a copy of the IIPP, although in its current form it does not permit access to employer records that would verify if an IIPP is being implemented. We will be reaching out to allies to prepare comments supporting the wildfire smoke petition and a strong IIPP standard, and to attend the hearing. Contact us if you are interested in being a part of these efforts. Onward, Doug Parker Executive Director Announcing Our 2019 Health & Safety Heroes! Worksafe’s 37th Anniversary Celebration, Onward & Upward: Elevating Worker Health & Safety in California, will take place on May 16th from 6PM to 9PM at the Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley.  We look forward to this event every year because it's an opportunity to connect with comrades and celebrate California's worker health and safety movement. Plus, we get to highlight the work of some truly amazing workers and advocates, our Health & Safety Heroes! At this year's event we will be honoring: Former Cal/OSHA Deputy Chief for Health: Deeg Gold, MPH, CIH UC Berkeley Professor of Epidemiology: Brenda Eskenazi, PhD UNITE HERE's Hotel Housekeeper Injury Prevention Campaign Guests will enjoy hearty hors d'oeuvres, a hosted bar, and the chance to win some pretty great raffle prizes. Event registration opens next week – stay tuned! #YesOnAB5 to #DisruptInequality When companies trap workers in contractor status instead of recognizing them as employees, they dodge responsibility for providing workers basic protections like minimum wage and unemployment insurance. It's cheating, plain and simple. This week Worksafe joined workers and advocates in Sacramento to urge legislators to support Assembly Bill 5, a bill introduced by Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez (San Diego). AB 5 aims to end fraudulent misclassification of workers as independent contractors by codifying the California Supreme Court's 2018 Dynamex ruling into state law.  Passing AB 5 will require energetic and sustained advocacy becuase really powerful business interests are doing everything they can to stop it – spreading a lot of misinformation along the way. We encourage everyone who cares about workers' rights to join the campaign however you can. Here are some sample tweets to get you started: We need to ensure working people aren’t cheated out of basic economic security  that comes with a minimum wage, unemployment insurance, a workplace free of discrimination and compensation if an injury on the job occurs. #DisruptInequality #YesOnAB5 We must put an end to corporations cheating workers by calling them ‘contractors’ instead of recognizing them as employees. Without basic protections, workers are vulnerable to exploitation, low wages & economic insecurity. #DisruptInequality #YesOnAB5 #AB5 protects workers from exploitation and levels the playing field for businesses that follow the rules. Stand with workers, taxpayers, and for the public good. Urge #CaLeg to vote #YesOnAB5  #DisruptInequality Contact us for more information on ways to get involved! Out & About with Worksafe This month Worksafe's Managing Attorney, Jora Trang, supported low-income workers with a training on workers’ compensation and occupational health and safety rights. The workshop was a part of the "Justice for Workers" conference held by the Santa Clara Wage Theft Coalition in San Jose.  Nicole Marquez, our Senior Staff Attorney, recently spent time with students from the UCSF Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing Program. Her talk, titled “Worker Health & Safety Rights, Policy Advocacy, and Coalition Building,” described Worksafe's unique approach to occupational health and safety advocacy. Can Worksafe support your organization with a training on worker health and safety advocacy? Get in touch by contacting Jora at jtrang@worksafe.org.   Meet the Board: Matt DeCarolis, JD Worksafe is a small organization with a mighty mission, and we couldn't do it without the support of our amazing Board of Directors. Matt DeCarolis, an attorney with Bet Tzedek Legal Services in Los Angeles, joined the board in 2013 and we've benefited from his energetic leadership ever since! Q: What interests you about worker health and safety? A: In my 'day job' I represent workers whose employers steal their wages. I've realized that wage theft often goes hand-in-hand with health and safety violations. These forces wreak havoc on workers' lives and the lives of their loved ones. Long before I joined the board, I turned to the experts at Worksafe whenever these issues came up in my cases. Q: What do you like about being on the Worksafe board? A: My two favorite things about being a board member are getting to support the incredible staff and learning from my fellow board members. No one else does what Worksafe does, and it all starts with the great team of experts. And I don't think any board has the diverse skill sets and backgrounds that our board does — or nicer people, for that matter! Public and occupational health. Labor and organizing. Law. Policy. We have it all! Q: What is the most pressing issue facing California workers in 2019? A: No doubt the biggest issue for California workers this year will be to preserve the commonsense protections of the Dynamex decision. Powerful special interests will stop at nothing to weaken this important victory for workers. Thankfully, we are well organized to push back and preserve these protections. Thank you, Matt, for supporting Worksafe's mission to ensure safety, health, and justice for low-income and immigrant workers in California.  DYK? We Accept Used Vehicle Donations! That's right: Worksafe now accepts vehicle donations of all types. Your car, your truck, your boat? We'll take it! As long as it's in one piece, tow truck accessible, and has a clear title, you can give your vehicle a new life by donating it to Worksafe. We'll use the proceeds to fund our policy advocacy, legal services, training, and public outreach. Donating is easy – we promise. Simply call the toll-free number (855) 500-RIDE or go to https://careasy.org/worksafe to submit the secure online donation form. The pick-up is free, and we provide the necessary paperwork for your tax-deductible donation!  Hey Bay Area! Won't you be our neighbor? Worksafe has a sunny suite to sublet in our downtown Oakland building, available immediately!

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