Highlights:
The Steel Industry Employed Nearly 2,000 Fewer Workers Towards The End Of Trump’s Term Than It Did When He Took Office. According to Reuters, “Nationally, the steel industry has been shedding jobs for the past year - since before the wider economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic - and now employs 1,900 fewer workers than it did when Trump took office, according to U.S. Labor Department data.” [Reuters, 10/10/20]
The Trump Administration Delayed A Rule Requiring Certain Mine Operators To Conduct A Safety Inspection Before Workers Began Their Shifts. According to NBC News, “But the Trump administration is also taking steps to delay, modify and roll back Obama-era safety measures intended to protect mine workers. It's delaying a rule requiring that certain mine operators conduct safety inspections before workers begin their shift.” [NBC News, 11/15/17]
The Trump Administration Tried To Roll Back A Rule Requiring Mine Operations To Document Workplace Hazards. According to NBC News, “But the Trump administration is also taking steps to delay, modify and roll back Obama-era safety measures intended to protect mine workers. […] It wants to drop a provision that these operators have to document workplace hazards, so long as they're corrected quickly.” [NBC News, 11/15/17]
A United Steelworkers Leader Decried Trump’s Moves. According to NBC News, “Labor unions and other worker advocates have decried the moves and say the administration's proposed changes defeat the rule's basic purpose. ‘You ought to know about hazards before the shift starts — not three hours later,’ said Mike Wright, director of health and safety for the United Steelworkers.” [NBC News, 11/15/17]
The Trump Administration’s Compliance Program, Which Provided Inspectors With Training, Told Officials To Leave Their Credentials Behind, Preventing Them From Issuing Citations On The Spot. According to NBC News, “Worker-safety advocates say there are early signs that the Trump administration isn't responding effectively to the spike in deaths, putting miners at greater risk by going soft on potential bad actors. In June, MSHA started a new ‘compliance assistance’ program that would provide additional training and support for less experienced coal miners, who are at higher risk of being injured on the job. The Obama administration ran similar educational programs, but critics say there are some troubling differences. Under the program, MSHA officials are being told to leave their inspection credentials behind before entering mines to conduct compliance assistance, which means they can't issue citations on the spot if they see a safety violation or other hazards.” [NBC News, 11/15/17]
United Mine Workers Spokesman: “The Inspectors Have No Ability To Enforce The Law” Under The Guidelines. According to NBC News, “‘The inspectors have no ability to enforce the law,’ said Phil Smith, a spokesman for the United Mine Workers of America, the leading labor union representing coal miners.” [NBC News, 11/15/17]
Manchin: The Guidelines Were “Essentially Removing The Ability Of That Inspector” To Enforce Safety Guidelines. According to NBC News, “Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., echoed the union's concerns in a letter to the Trump administration, pointing out that MSHA inspectors are required by law to carry their credentials to be able to enforce the law. If they leave them behind, ‘one is essentially removing the ability of that inspector to issue an order to remove miners from the unsafe area and issue a violation which, particularly in the event of an imminent dangers, can prove perilous,’ Manchin wrote in September.” [NBC News, 11/15/17]
Miners Were Also Denied The Right To Have Their Own Representative Accompany Inspectors. According to NBC News, “Under the program, miners also do not have the right to designate their own representatives to accompany MSHA officials during compliance visits, as is required by law during official inspections. ‘This is particularly alarming because no one is better suited to spot inconsistencies or unsafe conditions than the very people who work at the mine day in and day out,’ Manchin said.” [NBC News, 11/15/17]
Trump Appointed A Coal Executive With A History Of Health And Safety Violations To Head MSHA. According to NBC News, “Both supporters and critics of the policy shifts under Trump say the real test is yet to come, as MSHA still doesn't have permanent leadership in place. Trump didn't choose his nominee to lead the agency until early September, and the president's pick — former coal executive David Zatezalo — is expected to have a confirmation vote in the Senate on Wednesday. Wayne Palmer, a former GOP congressional aide and Labor Secretary Acosta's chief of staff, is the acting head of the agency. The retired chairman and CEO of Rhino Resources, Zatezalo has faced criticism for Rhino's record of serious health and safety violations under his leadership. In 2011, a coal miner was killed by falling rock in a Rhino mine that MSHA had just put on its ‘Pattern of Violations’ list — one of the agency's toughest enforcement actions. Shortly after the death, MSHA sent a second violations notice to Rhino, saying the company had failed to maintain earlier improvements in health and safety. MSHA issues such sanctions only to mines ‘that pose the greatest risk to the health and safety of miners,’ the agency has said, and it's rare for a company to receive two notices.” [NBC News, 11/15/17]
2020: The Trump Administration Eased Federal Enforcement At Mines. According to E&E, “In 2020, the Trump administration finalized a 10-day rule that eased federal enforcement at mines. Among other things, the rule inserted a procedure before the notice process where OSMRE and the state would look into an alleged violation before either party launched a formal investigation.” [E&E, 4/4/24]