The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has expressed support for legislation aimed at repealing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Walkaround Rule. The rule, finalized in April 2024, permits impartial union representatives to accompany OSHA inspectors during worksite investigations.
"OSHA’s Walkaround Rule does nothing to increase worker safety, but rather it provides unions a foot in the door to non-unionized small businesses that they would not otherwise have," stated Dylan Rosnick, NFIB Principal of Federal Government Relations. "Instead of focusing on upholding federal workplace safety standards, OSHA inspectors will be responsible for policing the activities of union representatives during inspections. The rule violates small business owners’ property rights and facilitates potential union intimidation of small businesses. We applaud Rep. Miller for introducing this important legislation to stop OSHA from increasing compliance burdens on small businesses."
The proposed legislation, H.J.Res. 147, introduced by Representative Mary Miller (IL-15), seeks Congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, regarding the "Worker Walkaround Representative Designation Process" rule submitted by OSHA.
In addition to supporting the legislative effort, NFIB has joined a lawsuit challenging the rule at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. The organization also collaborated with the Coalition for Workplace Safety (CWS) in sending a coalition letter backing the proposed repeal.
An NFIB member ballot revealed that 86% of members believe employers should not be required to allow union officials to accompany OSHA inspectors during routine health and safety inspections.
