'Blacklisting' Regulation Repealed
"Now that the blacklisting rule is finally behind us, it is time to come together to ensure the rights of all American workers are protected," said U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
A regulation that required federal contractors to disclose violations of the OSH Act and 13 other labor laws have been repealed. President Donald J. Trump on March 27 signed H.J.Res. 37, which nullifies the regulation implementing President Obama's 2014 Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order (Executive Order 13673), which has been called the "blacklisting rule" by opponents.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 236-187 on Feb. 2, 2017, to repeal the regulation, using the Congressional Review Act that can repeal recent federal regulations and prevent issuance of substantially similar regulations. (CRA was used early in the presidency of George W. Bush to repeal OSHA's ergonomics standard.) U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, released a statement following President Trump's signing: "The flawed blacklisting rule was always completely unnecessary. There has long been a system in place to hold federal contractors accountable, and the best way to ensure fair pay and safe workplaces is to enforce that system effectively. This duplicative rule would have served only to empower union bosses, while undermining our nation's military readiness and the ability of small businesses to compete for federal contracts. I commend President Trump for rejecting this misguided approach. Now that the blacklisting rule is finally behind us, it is time to come together to ensure the rights of all American workers are protected."
The regulations prompted a rare alliance of Associated Builders & Contractors, Inc. (ABC) and The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), both of which sought to repeal it.