[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 123 (Wednesday, September 16, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1739]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                POSTAL EMPLOYEES SAFETY ENHANCEMENT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. BERNARD SANDERS

                               of vermont

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 14, 1998

  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Postal 
Employees Safety Enhancement Act and in support of safe workplaces 
across our nation.
  This important legislation extends the ability of the Occupational 
Safety and Health Administration to regulate the U.S. Postal Service as 
it would for any private business. This is welcome legislation for the 
over 2,000 postal employees in the State of Vermont, and the hundreds 
of thousands in the country.
  This bill is supported by the American Postal Workers Union, the 
National Association of Lettercarriers, the Mailhanders (Laborers 
International), and the Rural Lettercarriers Association--every union 
that represents our postal employees. We should listen to our postal 
workers who desire the full protection of OSHA.
  Mr. Speaker, OHSA is a vital piece of our social contract. It was 
passed in response to unsafe working conditions that were found 
throughout the United States, and it has prevented countless injuries 
and fatalities on the job. Now, 27 years after the passage of the 
Occupational Health and Safety Act, we should continue our commitment 
that every worker in America has the right to a safe workplace.
  What we have before us today is legislation that says to many of the 
federal government's most valued employees--those who process and 
deliver the mail and keep our country on the move: We honor your work 
and we will protect you from workplace hazards.
  Mr. Speaker, every American deserves the full benefits of an OSHA 
compliant workplace. I urge strong support for our nation's hard 
working postal employees. Pass this legislation for them, for the 
people who love them, and for the country that employs them.

                          ____________________