Trump Repeals Regulation Protecting Workers From Wage Theft

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-repeals-regulation-wage-theft_us_58d9408ee4b03692bea814c9

Mar. 27, 2017
By Dave Jamieson

Companies that commit wage theft and put their workers in harm’s way just received a favor from the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump signed a bill Monday repealing a regulation that had encouraged federal contractors to follow labor laws. Under the Obama-era rule, companies with an egregious record of violating wage and safety laws would lose their government contracts if they didn’t come into compliance.

The idea behind the rule was to make sure unscrupulous employers didn’t receive taxpayer dollars. But Republicans in Congress thought the rule was too punitive and unfair to businesses. They used an arcane tool known as the Congressional Review Act in an effort to kill the regulation, which was called the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces rule.

By approving the legislation sent to him by the Senate, Trump has ensured not only that the regulation will die, but also that no similar regulation can be put forth by the Labor Department again. Trump signed the legislation at a White House ceremony in front of the press.

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Numerous reports have shown that federal contractors continue to receive federal money even after cheating employees out of pay or endangering them on the job. Democrats have sought for years to tighten the rules on contracting when it comes to lawbreakers.

Under the Obama rule, firms that bid on federal contracts would have to disclose their labor violations from the previous three years, including any times they were found to have broken laws pertaining to collective bargaining, civil rights, health and safety, or minimum wage and overtime. But violations wouldn’t necessarily prevent a firm from winning a contract, so long as it took steps to take care of the problem.

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Just last week, Republicans dismantled a different workplace safety regulation, one that required large employers to keep an accurate record of any injury for a period of five years. Workplace safety experts say repealing that rule would make it easier for companies to hide health and safety problems. Trump has not yet signed that legislation.