Proposed Cuts to US Labor Dept. May Lead to More Latino Workplace Deaths

The proposed budget cuts for the US Department of Labor (DOL) by the Trump administration may contribute to an already disturbing increase in Latino and immigrant deaths in the workplace, six US Senators said in a letter to Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The senators argued the two resolutions that have already passed Congress will weaken workplace safety, especially in Latino and immigrant majority jobs related to agriculture, construction and meatpacking.

"The administration has proposed cutting the DOL budget by $2.5 billion from Fiscal Year 2016’s enacted $12.2 billion, which would have been a 21% funding cut," the letter stated on Monday. "Combined, these proposed cuts and the effects of the CRA (Congressional Review Act) resolutions will jeopardize the lives of all working Americans and will likely lead to a sharper increase in Latino and immigrant workplace injuries and deaths."

A total of 4,386 workers in the United States were killed in the workplace in 2015, according to a report the senators cited in the letter. Latinos accounted for 903 of the workplace deaths, which marked the highest number of Latino workplace deaths in ten years, the senators noted.

Latino workers also hit a 20-year-high spike for the number of cases of workers spending days away from work due to injury or illness, the letter added.

Senators Al Franken, Robert Menendez, Sherrod Brown, Catherine Cortez Masto, Kirsten Gillibrand and Cory Booker signed the letter.