SMWIA Member Gets Missouri Labor Post; N.Y. State AFL-CIO Endorses Candidate with Union Background
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Carla Buschjost, a member of Sheet Metal Workers (SMWIA) Local 36, in St. Louis, is the new director of the Division of Labor Standards in the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DOLIR). Meanwhile in New York, Scott Murphy, a candidate in the special election for the 20th Congressional District seat, won the backing of the New York State AFL-CIO this weekend. Murphy is the son of a postal worker and a teacher.
Appointed late last month, Buschjost will oversee the division’s worker safety sections as well as the state’s child labor and prevailing wage laws. Says Buschjost:
I am passionate about stronger enforcement of laws that create stronger and safer workplaces.
Sen. Chambliss Gets Angry When Asked About Role in Sugar Dust Blast
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Sen. Saxby Chambliss, the anti-worker senator fighting for his career in a tight Georgia runoff election, is facing a subpoena to testify about his relationship with Imperial Sugar. As we’ve noted, Imperial Sugar—an ally and patron of Chambliss—is hoping to evade responsibility for a deadly sugar dust explosion that killed 14 workers last February.
Yesterday, Chambliss responded to a question about the subpoena by swatting away a camera held by a volunteer (see video). Not only is he dodging a court order, but he doesn’t want to discuss his relationship with the company or his attacks on a whistle-blower who exposed the dangerous conditions at the Imperial plant.
As Firedoglake reported, Chambliss received $21 million in campaign contributions this election cycle from the sugar industry.
