{"id":5732,"date":"2020-05-19T19:21:22","date_gmt":"2020-05-19T19:21:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/senatedems.com\/chang\/?p=5732"},"modified":"2020-05-19T19:21:22","modified_gmt":"2020-05-19T19:21:22","slug":"democrats-introduce-bills-to-protect-workers-during-re-engagement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.senatedems.com\/chang\/2020\/05\/19\/democrats-introduce-bills-to-protect-workers-during-re-engagement\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats Introduce Bills to Protect Workers during Re-engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

LANSING, Mich. \u2014 Sens. Stephanie Chang<\/strong> (D-Detroit), Jeremy Moss <\/strong>(D-Southfield), Sylvia Santana<\/strong> (D-Detroit), Winnie Brinks<\/strong>(D-Grand Rapids) and Sean McCann<\/strong> (D-Kalamazoo) today introduced a bill package to protect workers and public health as Michigan begins to re-engage the economy. Identical bills have been introduced in the House by Democratic Representatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany workers are afraid to go back to work. These are unprecedented times that have exposed serious shortcomings. If we’ve learned anything, it is that Michigan needs strong workplace protections, not just now, but for the long-term, to ensure workers can do their job safely and without being exposed to unnecessary risks,\u201d Sen. Chang said. \u201cWe must have workers\u2019 compensation presumption, a strong Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) with fines that lead to greater accountability, whistleblower protections, protection from retaliation in the workplace, and expanded testing for employees.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bills came from Democratic suggestions for re-engaging our state\u2019s economy as part of work done on the Senate Safe Behaviors for Safe Workplaces workgroup, which fell apart over a lack of consensus on ensuring safe workplaces<\/a>. Sens. Chang, Moss, and Santana were the Democratic members who participated in the workgroup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI represent one of our state\u2019s largest economic hubs and, as our economy comes back online, Michigan families deserve the confidence that we are implementing every needed protection at their workplace to keep everyone healthy. We won\u2019t have a thriving economy without a healthy workforce,\u201d Sen. Moss said. \u201cThese bills would keep workplaces safe while also giving critical consideration to those with underlying health conditions, lack of access to safe transit, and other barriers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bills include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n