The Subcommittee on Workplace Safety will conduct a hearing on young workers safety on Wednesday, October 26, 2011 in Manhattan. The hearing will evaluate the existing protections in place for workers ages 16-24. Even though young workers represent a small segment of the workers in New York State, the group has a higher rate of non-fatal injuries on the job.

The Assembly Labor Committee and the Subcommittee on Workplace Safety will hear testimony on the subject in order to determine whether young workers are properly protected from harm, whether extra protection from injury should be considered and if existing laws appropriately safeguard young people in the workplace.

Governor Cuomo Signs Assemblyman Lancman's Juvenile Justice Bill Into Law

The Juvenile Justice Worker Protection Act (A.2129/S.4940), sponsored by Assemblyman Lancman and Senator Catharine Young, was recently signed into law. This legislation will ensure that private juvenile justice facilities in New York offer the same safety protections to their employees as publicly run facilities.

The bill was drafted in response to two murders connected to private juvenile justice facilities in western New York. A report issued by the Subcommittee that found that many private facilities lacked the proper tools and training necessary in order to protect workers from violence. The new law requires private juvenile justice programs and facilities to comply with the New York State Workplace Violence Prevention Law, which mandates the use of risk assessments for all programs and facilities and also requires that workplace violence prevention programs be tailored to individual work environments.

Assemblyman Lancman Applauds Excellence in Building Service

Assemblyman Lancman recently attended SEIU 32BJ's Building Service Awards and was honored to present the Midtown Office Cleaner Award to Norma Quizi (pictured above) and Luz Hurtado. The awards ceremony recognized exemplary members of 32BJ, which represents security and maintenance officers, porters and other building service workers.

Local Electrical Workers Saluted This Labor Day

Assemblyman Lancman, Assemblyman Simanowitz and Councilman Gennaro join Con Ed and OSHA to honor IBEW Local 3 workers for Hurricane Irene Clean-Up

Assemblyman Lancman, Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz and Councilman James F. Gennaro celebrated Labor Day by honoring local electrical workers from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers who were tasked with dangerous hurricane recovery efforts. These workers were exposed to downed power lines, energized wires, unstable utility poles, electrical back-feed from ungrounded wires and falling tree limbs.

Joining Assemblyman Lancman in recognizing the workers were Richard Mendelson, New York Regional Administrator of the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and Richard Bagwell, Director of Labor Relations at Con Edison. News coverage of the event can be found here.

The Subcommittee Marches in the Labor Day Parade

Assemblyman Lancman joined thousands of workers who marched in the annual Labor Day parade in New York City. The parade is part of a national day to honor the contributions of workers. Assemblyman Lancman had the opportunity to visit with many workers' organizations at the parade, including the New York Committee on Occupational Safety and Health.

Subcommittee Addresses Workplace Violence Issues With Nonprofit Employees

The Subcommittee participated in District Council 1707's Political Action Conference, which featured panel discussions on contemporary issues in labor, including strategies for protecting workers from workplace violence. DC 1707represents 25,000 private, nonprofit sector employees in the United States at educational and social service agencies, day care center and fundraising organizations. Workplace safety issues are many and varied for DC 1707 members and ensuring that members have access to a safe and healthy workplace is a stated priority of the subcommittee.