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Flags at GM Fort Wayne Assembly will be flown at
half-mast and a ONE MINUTE MOMENT OF SILENCE will be conducted at the
following times:
1st shift 9:59 am - 10:00 a.m.
2nd shift 9:29 pm - 9:30 p.m. 3rd shift 2:29 p.m. - 2:30 a.m.
We are asking all to wear black on
Wednesday April 28th 2010 for this observance
"A work tone will be sounded at the beginning and the
end of each moment of silence"
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MOURN for the Dead
FIGHT for the Living |
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PROTECT WORKERS NOW! |
DECADES OF STRUGGLE by workers
and their unions have resulted in significant improvements in working
conditions. Unions have won laws and protections such as the Occupational
Safety and Health Act and the federal Mine Safety and Health Act and
numerous standards that have made workplaces safer for all workers.
Union contracts have given workers a voice on the job. Nonetheless, the toll
of workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths remains enormous. Millions
of workers are killed or injured every year.
On April 28, the unions of the AFL-CIO observe Workers Memorial Day to
remember those who have suffered and died on the job. As we remember
workers who have died in workplace catastrophes, suffered diseases due
to exposure to toxic substances or been injured because of dangerous
conditions, we rededicate ourselves to the fight for safe workplaces.
Each year, nearly 6,000 workers are killed at work, 50,000 die from
occupational diseases and millions more are injured. Many long
recognized hazards have not been addressed and new workplace hazards
emerge. Ergonomic hazards cripple and injure more than 1.8 million
workers each year and remain the nation's biggest job safety and health
problem. Immigrant workers are being killed on the job in record
numbers. Millions of workers have no Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) protection.
We will honor the victims of workplace injuries and illness by holding
employers accountable for protecting workers' safety and health. We will call for action on
needed job safety protections. We will demand stronger enforcement of
the law and protection from known workplace hazards and from new safety
and security threats. We will fight for OSHA coverage for all workers and the freedom of workers to
form unions and, through their unions, speak out and bargain for safe
jobs, respect and a better future. On April 28, we will honor fallen
workers. And we will keep on fighting until the promise of safe jobs is a reality
The Protecting America's Workers Act
Fulfilling the Promise of Safe Jobs for All Workers.
Nearly four decades ago, Congress enacted the Occupational Safety and Health Act of
1970, promising American workers the right to a safe job. While progress has been made since
the OSH Act was passed, the toll of workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities remains still
enormous. Each year thousands of workers are killed and millions more injured or diseased
because of their jobs.
Unlike most other federal safety and health laws, the OSH Act has never been updated.
There are major gaps and weaknesses in the job safety law. Millions of state and local public
employees, flight attendants and other workers lack OSHA coverage and protections. Penalties
for serious and willful violations of the law are weak, even in cases where workers are killed or
injured. Protections for workers who report hazards or job injuries are inadequate, and workers'
rights to participate in OSHA enforcement actions are limited.
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THIRTY-TWO YEARS AGO,
Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act, promising every
American worker the right to a safe job. Unions and our allies have
fought hard to make that promise a reality winning protections that have
saved hundreds of thousands of lives and prevented millions of workplace
injuries. On this Workers Memorial Day, join us in honoring
the workers who have been killed or injured by continuing the fight for
safe jobs.
The Protecting America' s Workers Act (PAWA) - H.R. 2067 and S. 1580 would
update and strengthen the OSH Act and provide workers stronger job safety rights and
protections. Specifically, here is what PAWA would do:
Provide Coverage Under the OSH Act to State and Local Public Sector
Workers, Federal Workers and Other Workers Who Lack Full OSHA
Protection. PAWA would extend the OSH Act and existing job safety
protections to all state and local public employees, federal workers and millions
of other workers who are inadequately covered by other laws. For state and
local public employees, states could adopt a state OSHA plan to cover these
workers, and if not, federal OSHA would apply. For federal workers, PAWA
would extend full OSHA protections including penalties for federal agencies
that violate the job safety law. For flight attendants and other workers whose
safety and health has fallen between the cracks, the Secretary of Labor could
extend OSHA coverage If another federal agency failed to provide protections
as effective as OSHA.
Increase OSHA Civil and Criminal Penalties for Job Safety Violations. The
bill would raise penalties for OSHA violations to $12,000 for serious violations
and $120,00 for willful and repeat violations. For violations resulting in worker
deaths, new higher penalties would be set and include a mandatory minimum,
so fines could not be reduced to a slap on the wrist, as now is the case. Criminal
violations of the OSH Act would be made a felony, instead of a misdemeanor, and be expanded to cover cases that involve serious bodily injuries, not just
worker deaths.
Prohibit the Use of "Unclassified" Violations and Require Correction of
Hazards While Employer Contests of Violations are Pending. PAWA would
ban the practice of issuing violations as "unclassified" which employers have
sought to keep from having a record of serious, willful and repeat OSHA
violations which may count against them in litigation or contract awards.
PAWA would also require that employers correct violations, even if they
contest citations or penalties, to make sure that workers are protected while the
employer's contest is reviewed, which is not required under the current law.
Enhance Whistleblower Protections for Workers Who Raise Job Safety
Concerns and Report Injuries or Illnesses. PAWA strengthens the OSH Act's
Section 11 (c) anti-discrimination protections. It provides workers the right to
pursue their case if OSHA fails to act in a timely fashion and writes into the law
a worker's right to refuse unsafe work. The bill makes clear that employers
cannot retaliate against a worker for reporting a job injury or illness and it
requires regulations to be issued that prohibit the establishment of any
employer policies or practices that discourage or discriminate against workers
for reporting injuries and illnesses.
Expand Worker and Union Rights in OSHA Inspections and Enforcement
Cases. PAWA requires that workers be paid for the time spent participating in
OSHA inspections. The bill expands workers' and unions' rights in enforcement
proceedings by providing them the right to contest the classification of violations
and proposed penalties, not just the abatement date, as is now the case. In addition,
workers and unions are given the right to object to modifications of citations that
have been issued and to ask OSHA and the Review Commission to review these
objections.
Provide Victims of Job Injuries and Illnesses and Family Members the Right to
be Heard in OSHA Investigations. PAWA would give workers who have been
injured or made ill, the right to meet with OSHA investigators, receive copies of any
citations and to be heard before any settlements are reached. In cases where a worker
is killed or incapacitated, the bill gives family members the right to participate on the
worker's behalf
WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY 2009-2010
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Joint Message from Cal Rapson & Diana Tremblay
While observing Workers' Memorial Day on April 28, General Motors (GM) locations represented by United Auto Workers (UAW) will reaffirm a commitment to workplace safety and encourage employees to extend their safety practices into their personal lives.
Workers' Memorial Day was established in the United States in 1989 to recognize workers who were killed or injured on the job and has since become an international day of remembrance. In honor of this day, UAW-represented GM facilities across the country will hold events to promote workplace safety; commemorate workers who lost their lives or were injured on the job; and take the opportunity to advance safety message throughout the facilities.
UAW members and GM employees will view a special health and safety video featuring Cal Rapson, UAW vice president and director of the GM department, and Diana Tremblay, vice president of labor relations for GM North America later today, here at Fort Wayne it will be played on the plant TV system
Rapson and Tremblay will use the video to discuss the importance of following through on specific safety protocols.
They will talk about the importance of a culture of safety, specifically a culture of safety that supports all people looking out for each other. Additionally, Cal and Diana both talk a great deal about the importance of safety 24/7, and taking all of the safety elements that we stress so strongly in our locations and to practice them at home.
An Everyday Commitment
In addition to the safety video, flags at our UAW-represented facilities will be flown at half-mast, and employees will observe a moment of silence in memory of workers who died from work-related injuries.
"We firmly believe that every working person deserves a safe and healthy work environment" says Rapson in the video. "Workers' Memorial Day offers an opportunity to learn from past incidents in order to prevent future accidents or fatalities."
"Our workplaces are already benchmarks for occupational safety, and, on this 2010 Workers' Memorial Day, our pledge is to keep improving our record," adds Tremblay.
While Workers' Memorial Day provides a timely forum to reinforce GM's approach to workplace safety and focus on ways to keep workers safe, it is not the only day of the year that such issues are addressed.
It's not just on Workers' Memorial Day that we focus on this commitment, It's every day. It is indeed our No. 1 priority.
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WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY -- APRIL
28th 2010 |
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2007 UAW Deaths by Accidents
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Click on name for information |