The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously last Tuesday to empower local workers to form employee-led “health councils” to monitor business compliance with local health regulations.
Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Mark Ridley-Thomas co-authored a motion recommending that the county reach out to labor and business leaders and quickly agree on effective ways to track compliance with mandates to wear facial coverings, install protective shields, and disinfect workplaces.
The measure protects participating employees from retaliation and creates a program to train workers on how to recognize and report any violations.
With health officials already struggling to enforce workplace safety measures across the nation’s most populous county, joint analysis by the Berkeley and UCLA Labor Center suggests that the measure could substantially help to limit COVID-19’s spread with only minimal cost to businesses.
Click here to watch a slideshow about the councils from the UCLA Labor Center, or visit bit.ly/WorkersAsHealthMonitors.
