Open Consensus Codes and Standards
WHEREAS, the AFL-CIO has worked long and hard to ensure the health and safety of organized workers across the United States and Canada, and
WHEREAS, the AFL-CIO, through many and varied efforts, has developed numerous programs to help ensure that organized labor provides only the highest quality work, and
WHEREAS, the AFL-CIO therefore has an inherent interest in the design and construction requirements of buildings, as dictated by the various codes and standards, and
WHEREAS, there are a number of public agencies and private organizations involved in the development of open consensus codes and standards used throughout the United States, and
WHEREAS, it is imperative that public and private organizations work together in an open consensus manner in developing building, fire, plumbing, mechanical and electrical codes so that design and construction requirements are economical yet appropriate for the safety of building occupants and rescue workers who would enter under extreme circumstances, and
WHEREAS, open consensus codes and standards must be developed through broad-based community participation requiring openness, due process, and equal voting rights, and be free from control or domination by any special interest group, public or private, therefore be it
RESOLVED that the AFL-CIO adopt a strong policy of support for the open codes and standards process at all levels of government, and be it further
RESOLVED that the AFL-CIO work aggressively with all of it’s affiliates across the United States to help ensure that only codes and standards developed through an open process be adopted at the federal, state and local levels of government.