November 20, 2019
Dear Representative,
On behalf of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), I urge you to cosponsor Representative Joe Courtney’s recently introduced Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, H.R. 1309.
Health care and social service workers devote their professional lives to bettering the health and well-being of their patients. However, due to their daily direct contact with a large number of patients and clients, these workers face a greater risk of becoming a victim of on the job violence than workers in most occupations. A 2016 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) study concluded that rates of violence against healthcare workers are up to 12 times higher than rates of violence for the overall workforce.
Health care and social service workers who are called on to help us and our families in times of need deserve a safe and secure work environment. To help fulfill this need, Representative Joe Courtney has introduced legislation to help protect these workers from violence on the job. This legislation would instruct the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) to issue a workplace violence prevention standard requiring employers in the health care and social service sectors to develop and implement a plan to protect their employees from workplace violence.
The Machinists Union urges you to help improve the safety of health care and social service workers by cosponsoring this important legislation, the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, H.R. 1309. To cosponsor, please contact Maria Costigan in Congressman Joe Courtney’s office at maria.costigan@mail.house.gov.
For more information, please contact IAM Legislative Director Hasan Solomon at (301)967-4575 or hsolomon@iamaw.org.
Thank you,
Robert Martinez, Jr.
International President
