34 THE QUEENS COURIER • HEALTH • SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
health
City to issue permits to some outdoor
youth sports leagues for fall season
File photo/The Villager
Queens lawmaker introduces NY HERO Act to
keep workers safe during COVID-19 pandemic
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Seeking to protect workers during
the COVID-19 pandemic, state Senator
Michael Gianaris announced unionbacked
legislation known as the NY
HERO Act. Th e bill requires businesses
to have enforceable safety standards to
prevent further spread of the coronavirus.
“Too many workers have already sacrifi
ced their health for our community’s
benefi t,” Gianaris said. “Th e New York
HERO Act will honor their eff orts by giving
workers the tools to protect themselves
on the job.”
Th e NY HERO Act, or the New York
Health and Essential Rights Act, would
mandate the Department of Labor and
Health to implement minimum standards
for workplace safety, enforceable
through signifi cant fi nes. Th e regulations
must introduce protocols on testing, PPE.
social distancing, hand hygiene, disinfection,
and engineering controls.
“Because of the federal government’s
failure to ensure workplace safety, we
are fi ghting to create enforceable standards,
and not just guidelines, to keep all
New Yorkers safe,” Retail, Wholesale and
Department Store Union President Stuart
Applebaum said. “Th is must be a priority
for Albany because it is a priority for all
working New Yorkers.”
Under the legislation, employers would
be permitted to establish individual regulations
for their businesses that exceed
state requirements.
“Essential workers did not stay home,
they braved the pandemic and showed
up: taking great risk to their own lives and
the lives of their families,” UFCW 2013
President Louis Mark Carotenuto said.
“To require Enforceable Safety & Health
Standards for these brave essential workers
is simply a must. Th ere should be no
struggle here on the part of legislators to
recognize that at a time when we needed
workers to step up, they did so.”
Th e NY HERO Act would require that
workers would also be given a direct role
in monitoring and reporting violations
through workplace health and safety committees
that would be empowered to raise
complaints and report violations.
“We only need to look around the country
to see why New York must take bold
steps to protect its workers from a second
wave of COVID-19,” Teamsters Joint
Council 16 President George Miranda
said. “While the Trump administration
off ers only guidance for companies,
New York leaders must step in and hold
employers legally accountable to provide
PPE and sanitary facilities. Th is is about
more than worker rights, it’s about public
health.”
Th e bill would protect employers from
retaliation for utilizing their rights under
the law.
“Workers of color have borne the brunt
of COVID-19 for America,” Teamsters
Local 813 President Sean T. Campbell
said. “Our communities have done the
majority of essential jobs that allowed
others to remain at home and have died
from the disease at far higher rates. While
the federal government does nothing for
these workers, one way New York can
show that Black Lives Matter is by passing
legislation to give workers every protection
they need to stay safe from a second
wave of COVID-19.”
BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELLDOMENECH
editorial@qns.com
@qns
Some outdoor youth sports leagues will
be allowed to return to the fi eld beginning
Tuesday, Sept. 15, Mayor Bill de Blasio
revealed on Friday.
WNYC’s Brian Lehrer broke the news
during his weekly ‘Ask the Mayor’ segment
shortly aft er pressing de Blasio on school
reopening details. Now, youth baseball,
soft ball, soccer, fl ag football, non-contact
lacrosse and cricket teams can request
permits from the Parks Department to
play outdoors, de Blasio said.
“Th e folks in the sports league that do so
much for our kids they’ve been appealing
for the ability to open up and we are going
to grant that,” de Blasio told listeners.
In order to abide by state health guidelines,
all coaches, spectators, leagues and
sideline players must wear masks at all
times. Players are also encouraged to wear
masks while playing if possible, according
to City Hall. Players must maintain social
distance while not in active gameplay and
spectators are limited to two per player.
Th ose watching games must immediately
leave the fi eld postgame, according to the
Parks Department.
Park staff will conduct spot inspections
at league practices and games and will
enforce a “three-strikes” policy by revoking
league permits aft er witnessing three
health violations, de Blasio said. Permits
will be suspended for all sports if the
percentage of positive COVID-19 tests
exceeds 3%.
Courtesy JC 16
State Senator Michael Gianaris joins union leaders to announce new protections for workers during
the pandemic.
/WWW.QNS.COM
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