In 2014,...a Senate report found that many federal contractors had been repeatedly cited for cheating, harassing and injuring their employees... Federal contracting is a $500-billion-a-year business, and federal labor law includes 14 different statutes... This week, in a big step forward for labor standards, the final regulations and guidance [on checking compliance with labor laws by government contractors] were issued. The new procedures...require procurement officials to take the common-sense step of considering past wrongdoing that is serious, willful, repeated or pervasive... 

The main goal is...to rectify and prevent violations. To that end, the new rules allow companies to meet with compliance officials and develop plans to fix violations before submitting bids... Even so, some Republicans in Congress oppose the effort.

At last, the government has devised a means to better protect American workers and ensure that companies obey the law. Why would anyone stand in the way?

[refers to Tyson Foods]