WASHINGTON—The National Nurses United began an intensive campaign to protect their patients and worker safety on the job against the dangers and ravages of corporate greed.
In letters to both congressional committees dealing with workers’ issues and in an online petition the union wants viewers to send to lawmakers, the nurses warn “corporate greed could compromise patient safety.” And workers, too.
“Under the Trump administration, OSHA is moving policies that help corporations profit at the expense of worker health and safety,” the union reports. Since 2025, OSHA has:
- Lessened enforcement and reduced penalties.
- Proposed to exempt certain industries from OSHA enforcement entirely, leaving the door open for expansion to other industries, and
- Proposed to weaken protections for workers who need respirators to protect them from toxic chemicals, infectious diseases, and other respiratory hazards at work.
“This is part of the Trump administration’s fascist plan to rig the economy for billionaires, at the expense of working people. Workers need more OSHA inspections, standards, and enforcement focused on holding corporations accountable to protect working people, not less. If these changes are made permanent, more workers will get sick, injured, and die,” the union warns.
NNU, the nation’s largest union for registered nurses, demands congressional reversal of all those anti-worker actions, and more.
Whether Congress’ ruling Republicans are listening is doubtful. The week before the union’s letter and e-mail call, the ideologically rigid GOP majority on the House Education and the Workforce Committee passed two extreme anti-worker bills on party-line votes.
The more obvious one affects all workers, indoors and out, who must toil in high heat, from Amazon warehouse workers to telephone line workers to farmworkers. The bill would ban OSHA, forever, from a rule forcing firms to protect workers from the danger—illness, collapse and death—from high heat.
Coincidentally, a Rural Letter Carrier in North Texas died days before after collapsing in the extreme “heat dome” temperatures ravaging much of the country.
The other anti-worker measure the panel majority OKd would arbitrarily declare that first-year medical residents and interns—including nurses—are “independent contractors,” who cannot get overtime pay, can be denied the minimum wage and can’t unionize to protect themselves. That measure, if approved by Congress and signed by anti-worker GOP President Donald Trump, would only worsen the U.S. shortage of doctors and nurses.
OSHA must protect workers, not corporate profits, including by:
- Halting all rollbacks to standards, regulations, and guidance,
- Protecting workers’ right to file complaints about workplace health and safety concerns without fear of retaliation, and
- Increasing inspections and citations so that worker protection through enforcement is not eroded under this administration,” NNU says.
“Safety first, right?” the online letter asks, rhetorically.
But once again, it’s not just Trump standing in the way.
In June, the GOP-run House Appropriations subcommittee, which helps dole out federal dollars for Labor Department programs, including OSHA, agreed to Trump’s proposed multimillion-dollar cut in OSHA enforcement money. That would also drive the number of OSHA inspectors down to its lowest level in decades.
Which is why NNU wants people to sign the petition, available on its website.
“Health care CEOs can’t stop putting their own profits over our patients, and OSHA regulations make it harder for them to do just that. We need MORE of those protections in place, but instead they’re under attack—that’s why we need your help.”
“One quick action will help create the public pressure we need to stop Trump from weakening OSHA worker safety protections!” the union’s urgent message says.
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