Senate Committee Rejects Reagan’s OSHA Nominee

Democrats picked up a key Republican vote today to kill President Reagan’s controversial nomination of Robert Rader Jr. to the panel overseeing the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

On an 8-8 vote, the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee voted not to report Rader’s name to the full Senate floor.

Then, on a second 8-8 vote, the committee defeated an effort by its chairman, Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) to report Rader’s name to the Senate without a recommendation.

Rader did not return phone calls asking for his reaction.

Career Cited

Opponents charged that Rader, a Texas lawyer, has spent much of his career attempting to destroy OSHA.

By picking up the key vote of Sen. Lowell P. Weicker Jr. (R-Conn.), the Democrats won a long effort to remove Rader, 41, from the OSHA Review Commission. Rader was appointed by Reagan last August, while Congress was out of session, and has been serving in the position ever since.

Before taking the federal job, Rader advised corporate clients to resist OSHA inspections--even if authorized by a federal court warrant. Some of Rader’s clients were cited for contempt of court after refusing access to federal safety inspectors.

Rader also was ordered by a federal judge in Texas last October to pay a $3,000 fine for apparently misrepresenting facts and failing to comply with court orders in a race discrimination lawsuit in which he represented an employer.

Sen. Howard M. Metzenbaum (D-Ohio) led the move against Rader, assisted by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.).

‘Can’t Be Fair-Minded’

Rader “has demonstrated that he can’t be fair-minded and unbiased,” Metzenbaum said, and a hostile review panel “could completely destroy OSHA.”

“I believe this nomination should have been withdrawn a long time ago,” Metzenbaum said.

Kennedy said Rader had made “a legal career undermining the enforcement activities of OSHA” and was an “overzealous defender” of corporate clients seeking to undermine workplace safety.

Rader “should be voted out of government,” Kennedy told his colleagues. “The committee should not report his nomination (to the Senate) under any circumstances.”

Sen. Paul Simon (D-Ill.) said he had kept an open mind about Rader until Rader sent him copies of 11 decisions he had helped decide. Virtually all of them were in favor of employers rather than workers, Simon said.