ustxtxb_obs_2009_06_12_50_00010-00000_000.pdf

AN INVITATION fo r WEST TEXAS/BIG BEND LIBERALS to CELEBRATE THE SUMMER SOLSTICE Saturday, June 20, 2009 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Marfa Book Company 101 South Highland Ave. Marfa, Texas with The CEO/Publisher Carlton Carl of THE LEGENDARY TEXAS OBSERVER opening the eyes of Texas since 1954 Featuring Readings by Lonn Taylor, Sterry Butcher, Ken Whitley past Observer contributors Hosting this Special Event: Marfa Book Company Tim Johnson, Proprietor & Lonn Taylor REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED TALK ABOUT what’s going on with America’s newspapers and magazines, The Texas Legislature and Texas politics Y’ALL COME! questions 432-729-*40 At least 45% of the workers surveyed earned poverty-level wages. 1 in 5 had been injured on the job. 64% said they had not gotten basic safety or health training. with the Observer. They are eye-opening. “It was far worse than we had even imagined,” says Tzintzian, who thought she’d heard it all. Researchers found that Austin construction workers whether they’re legal immigrants, undocumented workers or seventh-generation Angloshave plenty in common: Most work long hours without overtime. Few receive adequate safety training. And few get basic safety equipment when they’re hired for a job. “Texas has failed to guarantee even basic safety and labor protections,” Tzintzun says. At least 45 percent of the workers surveyed earned poverty-level wages. One in five had been injured on the job. Sixty-four percent said they had not gotten basic safety or health training. Many reported that they’d had to bring their own hard hats and safety belts to both government-funded and private-job sites. Most construction workers had never heard of government regulatory agencies like OSHA or the Texas Workforce Commission. Safety inspections are left up to the federal agency, which is stretched thin: OSHA has a regional office in Dallas that also serves four surrounding states. Despite its construction boom, Texas has the second-lowest 10 THE TEXAS OBSERVER JUNE 12, 2009