May
2013 22
2013 22
NLRB Grants USW Access to Caterpillar Facility for Safety Inspection Following Worker Fatality
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has sided with unions in a case pertaining to access to company facilities for health and safety inspections. The United Steelworkers took legal action following a fatal accident at a Caterpillar facility. In NLRB case No. 97, Caterpillar objected to the request for access to the facility claiming that...
May
2013 22
2013 22
MILESTONE: Workers at TN Plant Achieve 20 Million Man Hours Without a Lost Time Injury
Some remarkable safety-related news out of Tennessee where the Project Team at the Watts Bar 2 Completion Project has announced, get this, 20 million hours worked without a lost time injury (LTI). LTI’s are defined as occurring when a person injured in the execution of his/her duties is unable to perform his/her regular duties for ...
May
2013 21
2013 21
CT Sen. Blumenthal Urges OMB to Move Forward With Silica Dust Regulation
New regulations surrounding dangerous silica dust have been swirling in a bureaucratic black hole for years. Now, Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal is asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to move forward in the name of workers and families. The AFL-CIO and its affiliate unions have long urged President Obama to move forward with ...
May
2013 20
2013 20
NEGLIGENCE SANS CONSEQUENCE: IL Worker Death from Toxic Inhalation Results in Measly $77,200 Fine
Illinois-based Phoenix Industrial Cleaning has been fined $77,200 and issued 28 citations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) following the death of a worker who was overcome by toxic vapors while cleaning a storage tank. The 6,000-gallon tank had previously been used to store Methylene chloride. The accident occurred...
May
2013 15
2013 15
STUDY: Union Apprentices 17% More Likely to Complete Apprenticeships than Non-Union Counterparts
In Canada, apprentices working with unions are more likely to complete training and move into the job market than their non-union peers according to a new report. Of the apprentices studied, 75 percent completed training that was run through a Joint Apprenticeship Training Trust (JATT) while only 58 percent completed training when apprenticing...
May
2013 14
2013 14
Make Noise for Safety With CPWR’s Construction Fall Prevention ThunderClap
A new campaign looks to plan, provide, and train workers on how to avoid the dangers of construction falls. The difference between this safety campaign and others? It needs your help. The issue of falls is among the most serious facing workers today. Each year, over 200 American workers are killed in construction falls and ...
May
2013 10
2013 10
AFL-CIO: Based on Current Staffing, OSHA Would Need 131 Years to Inspect Every Workplace
The AFL-CIO has released its annual “Death on the Job” report which indicates that while the workplace is getting safer overall much progress must be made to prevent deaths and occupational illnesses in the future. It is the 22nd year that the report has been released. At the heart of the issue is the Occupational ...
Apr
2013 30
2013 30
Seattle Coffee Owner Pulls a Papa John, Raises Prices to Make Up for Paid Sick Leave
As Paid Sick Leave becomes the new norm in Seattle, business owners are taking different, um, “approaches” to making it work for their alleged bottom lines. Remember when Papa John’s, Darden Restaurants and that one Denny’s franchise owner said they were going to pass the costs of healthcare reform on to customers? Welp,...
Apr
2013 30
2013 30
Sacramento Bee Refuses to Apologize for Cartoon That Takes Gov. Rick Perry to Task for Safety Deregulation
A political cartoon from the Sacramento Bee that suggests Texas Governor Rick Perry’s agenda of deregulation is partially to blame for the explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, TX is drawing reaction from the Governor himself. In a letter to the Bee, Perry writes: “It was with extreme disgust and disappointment I viewed your ...
Apr
2013 29
2013 29
UA Local 669 Loses Member Who Was First Responder in West, TX Explosion
Sad news came down labor’s mountain this morning when the Building and Construction Trades Department (BCTD) of the AFL-CIO announced the death of United Association (UA) Local 669 member Morris Bridges in a statement by President Sean McGarvey. Bridges, a sprinklerfitter, was a volunteer first responder on the scene of the horrifying West,...
Apr
2013 24
2013 24
ABC Waterproofer and Contractor With History of Violations Responsible for Death of Two in Tennessee
Two workers were killed and another injured when a 25-foot wall collapsed in Hendersonville, TN on April 18th. The Tennessee Division of Occupational Safety and Health is now investigating the incident which The Tennessean describes: The accident killed Joel Pineda Muniz, 24, of Nashville, and Bethpage resident Jose P. Velasco-Sanagustin, 37. A...
Apr
2013 12
2013 12
Florida GOP Ramping Up ALEC-Driven, Darden and Disney-Affiliated Anti-Wage and Sick Day Measures
Last week, Florida’s House Bill 655 passed the GOP-controlled House of Representatives by a 75-43 margin. The bill, similar to other model legislation backed by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), would prevent local governments from implementing #PaidSickDays. It also disallows local governments from mandating living wages....
