Labor union asks federal regulators to oversee South Carolina workplace safety program

By JAMES POLLARD
Associated Press/Report for America

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — One of the largest labor organizations in the United States wants the federal government to wrest workplace safety oversight from South Carolina regulators. Service Employees International Union accuses state officials of failing to protect service employees in a Dec. 7 petition to the U.S. Labor Department. South Carolina is one of 22 states that run their own ship when it comes to enforcing occupational safety in most private businesses. Those programs must be “at least as effective” as their federal counterpart, but SEIU’s lawyer argues that’s not the case in South Carolina.