Little Rock--Tyson Foods and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are actively fighting workplace safety measures that could have prevented the tragic death of a Tyson Foods worker, said Reverend Steve Copley today.

On Friday, a U.S. District Court in Arkansas ruled that Tyson Foods Inc. must pay a $500,000 fine for "willfully" violating workplace safety regulations that led to the 2003 death of Jason Kelley, a maintenance worker at its River Valley Animal Foods plant in Texarkana. Mr. Kelley was killed by toxic fumes emitted from a machine he was repairing.

"Mr. Kelley's death is the worst possible example of what can happen when employees do not have a voice on the job and are not protected at work. If workers had a voice at that plant, if they had a union, there could have been a more rigorous safety program in place to prevent this tragic loss of life," said Rev. Copley.

Despite an identical accident in 2002, Tyson Foods did not put safety measures in place to make sure it didn't happen again. Tyson Foods workers do not have a union and its workers were not able to hold their employer accountable for failing to enforce these federally mandated worker safety protections.

"Groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that opposed the original Occupational Safety and Workplace Act and are now fighting legislation that would enable allowing more workers to choose to form a union. They're opposing workplace safety," said Rev. Copley.

The fine imposed on Tyson Foods is the maximum allowed by law.

"While the court was right to fine Tyson Foods, I believe a person's life is worth more than $500,000," said Rev. Copley. "This never should have happened."

According to several studies, union workers are more likely to have the right training and other precautions that create safer workplaces. Union workers:

• Have more training. Union workers are more likely to have access to formal, on-the-job training, making employees more skilled and adding to productivity.
• Have safer workplaces. Union workers are often better trained on health and safety rules and union workplaces are more likely to enforce Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards.
  
• Are more likely to receive workers' compensation. Union members also get their benefits faster, and return to work more quickly. When workers are injured, unions help workers through the often complicated process of filing for workers' compensation and protect workers from employer retaliation.

You can read the U.S. Department of Justice press release on the ruling here.

No doubt, you've likely heard about yesterday's tragic shooting incident at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, where security officer Stephen T. Johns tragically lost his life.

The event is a bitter reminder about the importance of these brave men and women who serve as the "first line of defense against a terrorist attack," and the methods that can be taken to ensure their safety while on the job. All in all, there are more than 1 million private security officers in the United States - nearly twice the number of police officers.

On this morning's Today Show, the director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Sara Bloomfield, paid tribute to Officer Johns and commended the entire security team for their bravery and heroism:

"Everything happened yesterday as we train for these things. And as I think you've reported, two of our officers did attack this assailant and none of our visitors were hurt, so we feel that this actually worked extremely well, in terms of how many lives were saved in this incident. And again, we want to commend our officers who responded so well and pay tribute to Officer Johns, who also behaved so heroically in this incident."

As members of a union, the security officers at the Holocaust Museum are especially trained to deal with situations like the one from yesterday.

In an interview with the Center for American Progress' ThinkProgress, Steve Maritas, the organizing director of the union that represents them, said the following:

"These guys are security police professionals, which is a whole different level of training compared to security guards...When they train these guys, they're trained on more of a terrorism level."

The unfortunate incident also speaks to the need for better safety on the job. According to the Washington Post, Officer Johns did not have a protective, "bullet-proof" vest that could have aided him during the incident.

How much is a worker's life worth? Answer: $7,000

Remember back in November of last year when we told you the tragic story of Jdimytai Damour, a 34-year-old temporary worker at a Long Island Wal-mart who was crushed to death by a mob of shoppers storming the store for Black Friday deals?

The employee was "stepped on by hundreds of people" as other workers attempted to fight their way through the crowd, [Nassau County police Detective Lt. Michael] Fleming said.

"Several minutes" passed before others were able to clear space around the man and attempt to render aid. Police arrived, and "as they were giving first aid, those police officers were also jostled and pushed," he said.

"Shoppers ... were on a full-out run into the store," he said.

Well, yesterday OSHA announced the results of their investigation into the incident -- and their findings confirm that the tragedy was entirely preventable:

OSHA's inspection found that the store's employees were exposed to being crushed by the crowd due to the store's failure to implement reasonable and effective crowd management principles. This failure includes providing employees with the necessary training and tools to safely manage the large crowd of shoppers.

Mr. Damour's death, in other words, was no accident. It was not a freak occurrence nobody could have foreseen. It was predictable, given Wal-Mart's failure to take appropriate measures to deal with the near-riot situation their marketing department had whipped up.

So what's the punishment for shocking corporate negligence that results in the death of a worker? OSHA hit them with the maximum fine allowable by law -- $7,000.

That's right. Seven thousand dollars.

"Hard-working Americans deserve to know that they can go see a doctor without losing their job," said SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger, in response to the introduction of the Healthy Families Act (H.R. 2460) to both sides of Congress last week by Senator Kennedy and Representative DeLauro. The legislation would allow workers to earn up to 7 days of paid sick time, with an accrual of one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked.

A new report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) shows that the United States is dead last among 22 industrial countries that fail to guarantee their workers some form of paid sick leave. Good health isn't just encompassed in having decent health coverage--it's also the ability to care for oneself or one's family members when sick, and to help prevent the spread of contagious diseases through the workplace. But what can you do when you have a job where you don't have any paid sick days for yourself, much less paid days off to care for a sick child?

This is the sad state of affairs for far too many of our nation's workers. Nearly half of private-sector workers in this country have no paid sick days, and low-income workers are doing even worse--76 percent have no paid sick leave. Overall, 57 million private-sector workers have no paid sick days, and 94 million cannot use their paid sick leave to stay home and care for an unwell child. Labor unions, business leaders and lawmakers see the bill as a compliment to real healthcare reform, as well as part of a larger move to improve workplace standards.

Meanwhile, Congressman Alan Grayson of Florida has introduced one of my favorite bills of the year--the Paid Vacation Act of 2009. It is the first paid vacation bill in U.S. history--which is a big deal, ladies and gentlemen! If passed, the bill will at minimum "require one week of paid vacation for employees of companies with at least 100 employees" after one year on the job. From Politico on the concept of the bill:

The idea: More vacation will stimulate the economy through fewer sick days, better productivity and happier employees.

"There's a reason why Disney World is the happiest place on Earth: The people who go there are on vacation," said Grayson, a freshman who counts Orlando as part of his home district. "Honestly, as much as I appreciate this job and as much as I enjoy it, the best days of my life are and always have been the days I'm on vacation."

"Every worker should have paid sick days," said bill sponsor Rep. DeLauro at a Capitol Hill last week. "It is a matter of right and wrong : [it] is a matter of values. The time for this is now." Tell Congress to pass the Healthy Families Act.