September 2014 marks the one-year anniversary of the forced resignation of Cal/OSHA Chief Ellen Widess and the start of direct rule by Department of Industrial Relations Director Christine Baker. A year later there is no permanent leadership team, the roster is riddled with vacancies, and policy decisions have lurched between “political spin” crises and administrative diktats in response.
September 2014 marks the one-year anniversary of the forced resignation of Cal/OSHA Chief Ellen Widess and the start of direct rule by Department of Industrial Relations Director Christine Baker. A year later there is no permanent leadership team, the roster is riddled with vacancies, and policy decisions have lurched between “political spin” crises and administrative diktats in response.
1. You say Cal/OSHA is heading in "new direction" due to the political preferences of Cal/OSHA's overseers. Describe the components of this "new direction." Why do you oppose it? Actually the term “new direction” was used by then-Labor Secretary Marty Morgenstern and Department of Industrial Relations Christine Baker in explaining why they were dismissing then Cal/OSHA Chief Ellen Widess via a forced resignation in September 2013.
Cal/OSHA Chief Ellen Widess was instructed to attend a meeting at 11 am on September3, 2013 – the day after Labor Day – with California Labor Secretary Marty Morgenstern and Department of Industrial Relations Director Christine Baker at DIR’s Oakland Headquarters.