WASHINGTON (March 9, 2001)—The House quickly joined the Senate March 7 to approve a resolution disapproving the final rule on ergonomics finalized in January by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The resolution now goes to President George Bush, who is expected to sign it, making the ergonomics standard null and void. It marked the first time Congress invoked the Congressional Review Act, a five-year-old law giving legislators the power to revoke a regulatory standard by a simple majority vote.
Tire makers, which estimated the rule would cost them nearly $70,000 per worker to retrofit the average tire press, were jubilant over the votes. Labor unions accused Congress and big business of stabbing workers in the back.