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CWA Strategic Research Manual
Violations of the Law
Government records also may tell you whether the company has ever been found in violation of laws on labor relations, health and safety, equal opportunity, and product quality.
If the company has been found violating those laws or has signed agreements promising not to violate them, you can get copies of the files on the case.
The nearest regional office of the National Labor Relations Board [www.nlrb.gov] can provide information on past unfair labor practices or other labor law violations.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission [www.eeoc.gov] can tell you whether the employer has ever been found guilty of race or sex discrimination or has signed an agreement promising special efforts to hire or treat women or minorities more fairly. Also see CWA's Civil Rights web page [www.cwa-union.org/issues/civil-rights].
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs [www.dol.gov/esa/ofccp/] can tell you whether the employer has been ruled ineligible for federal contracts because of viola-tions of laws on discrimination, health and safety, wages and hours, etc. It can also tell you whether the company signed an agreement to improve its performance in those areas in order to remain eligible for federal contracts.
The Environmental Protection Agency [www.epa.gov] can tell you whether the employer has violated laws on pollution of water, air, or land.
In addition, the Council on Environmental Quality [www.whitehouse.gov/ceq] has copies of all "environmental impact statements" - reports which often must be filed by companies conducting projects with federal financing.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission [www.cpsc.gov] can tell you whether it has ever found any of the company's products to be unsafe. (If you know that a company's products have caused injuries or illnesses, check to see whether the company has met its legal obligation to notify the commission.)
The Food and Drug Administration [www.fda.gov] can provide similar information.
For safety and health information, try the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's new workers' page [www.osha.gov/as/opa/worker]. You can also search OSHA complaints online [www.osha.gov/cgi-bin/est/est1]. More information on specific health issues and CWA resources is available at CWA's Safety & Health web page [www.cwa-union.org/issues/osh].
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Government Regulation and Information
