Kentucky Chapter Workplace Safety News

http://www.usmwf.org/state_pages/ky/kentucky.htm

Management often asks more of the hourly employee’s than they themselves are willing to give. Sixty hour work weeks would definitely be one such sacrifice they never adhere to. Is this common demand on blue collar workers just a sacrifice of time with your family, or could it be more? I ran across the article below which suggests it may very well put your health at great risk. 

Working overtime doesn't just make you cranky and cut into your social schedule. A new, long-running study suggests it may also be bad for your heart.

Researchers in London tracked more than 10,000 civil servants there for the Whitehall II study, published in the May 12 edition of the "European Heart Journal."

People who toiled away three or more hours beyond a typical seven-hour workday had a 60 percent higher risk of heart-related problems than those who didn't, according to the findings.

"The association between long hours and coronary heart disease was independent of a range of risk factors that we measured at the start of the study, such as smoking, being overweight or having high cholesterol," said epidemiologist and lead author, Dr. Marianna Virtanen in a statement.

Virtanen, of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in Helsinki, Finland, and University College London, wrote that she and her colleagues found the overtime workers were more at risk for death from heart disease, nonfatal heart attacks and angina. 

But she added that further studies need to be done to definitively conclude that the stress from overtime work increases the risk of heart conditions.

"Our findings suggest a link between working long hours and increased coronary heart disease (CHD) risk, but more research is needed before we can be confident that overtime work would cause CHD," she said.

Virtanen also wants her team to examine whether working long hours has an impact on other ailments like diabetes and depression.

The broad-based Whitehall II study began in 1985 and recruited 10,308 office workers between the ages of 35 and 55 from 20 different civil service departments in London. 

Among the data asked for during the survey was a question about working hours first posed between 1991 and 1994. To measure overtime effects, researchers looked at information on 6,014 people -- 4,262 men and 1,752 women -- aged 39-61, tracking them until 2002-2004.

During the tracking period of about 11.2 years, Virtanen and colleagues in Finland, the U.K. and France pinpointed 369 cases of fatal CHD, nonfatal heart attacks (also called myocardial infarctions) or angina. 

The researchers adjusted for various factors including age, sex, marital status and occupational status and found that working three to four hours of overtime, but not one to two hours, was linked to a 60 percent higher rate of heart problems compared with no overtime work. More adjustments of about 21 different risk factors made little difference in the results, the authors said.

Researchers said there could be several explanations for why working long hours might lead to more heart disease. One is that overtime is often related to type A behaviors and personalities -- associated with competitiveness, tension, time consciousness and aggression -- as well as a lack of sleep and an increase in depression and anxiety. Undiagnosed high blood pressure might also have been a factor.

Virtanen said the authors' findings are independent of the above factors, so they aren't able to give a complete account of why overtime work seems to be associated with a spike in heart disease risk until further studies are done.

In conclusion, we have long stated that a mandatory overtime limit of 8 hours per week should be in a negotiated contract with management. This would not limit anyone who wishes to volunteer for more than 8 hours .  This is another prime example as to why this is necessary.

 Tony Bellamy

2-24-10   I'm willing to give anyone the benefit of the doubt but are we dealing with more of the same with a new wrapper?  One thing is for sure... things have changed but is it for the better? Do you really think so? Does management still have their favorites that get away with anything they please while the rest of us answer for even small infractions of their unwritten code? Are you continually prodded for more production with no more pay? Why can't management follow their own rules? 2010 is a good year to seek some answers to these kind of questions and some relief for the ongoing issues that local management has chosen to turn a blind eye to. It is my opinion and the shared opinion of this union committee that the only true resolution to issues like these is through the process of collective bargaining and the only way to secure that those resolutions remain in tact is to lock them in with a legally binding union contract. We are assured that Federal Legislation to assist us in this pursuit is on the way. More to come.

MB.

 

• Execs' pay held steady despite stock tumult
• Getting serious on CEO pay
 

Shares of the Memphis, Tenn-based paper company sank 63% last year, compared with a 38% drop in the S&P 500 index, according to the report. Despite such a drubbing, the company's CEO got total compensation of $38.2 million. According to the Corporate Library, John Faraci's compensation included $21 million in pension payments he received while still working at the company. Faraci, 59, has been CEO for six years. International Paper said in a statement that Faraci's total compensation was $13 million and that the Corporate Library "mistakenly included" the pension payments.

Ok so let this poor ignorant farm boy understand this for a minute. These CEOS make multimillion dollar paychecks. Cool wish I was one of them. Now the board who approves this kind of extreme money gets how much? The assistant CEO gets how much? The 10 assistants to the assistant gets how much? Then the middle management gets a few million between all 100 of them I could only guess? Ok so maybe a conservative guess here is that 50% of a company's profit goes to the top 2% of its employees. Then you have the share holders who get what, 2% on their money. Now this all has to go back to Wall street and the chasing of the best returns. The exorbitant pay going out to the top2% causes the company to increase its charges for goods and services so that the profits can show a consistent increase. Now the rest of us have to pay higher prices because of the increase and we have to pay our government more money so that they can protect us from this kind of gouging.

9-14-09  This letter was secured from the internet and contributed to us by a member of this committee.

Hello to you all, fellow employees of IP,
 
We send you this mail because we sincerely think that ENOUGH IS ENOUGH in the IP system.
 
We are a mill specialized since 35 years now in 100% waste based papers for corrugating (fluting and liners). We have been bought by IP in the beginning of the 1990s and now IP has suddenly decided to shut us down.
 
EBIT of the year 2007 is + 7 M Euros !! (11 M$). After this good year we started to suffer from the crisis and the low market prices. To help the mill results, the employees have given more than their best and have accepted every effort asked by IP :  
 
- extend the working days like working until Christmas eve late in the afternoon
- work on New years eve and day
- block all holidays and keep them for “conjunctural” stops decided by IP
- always do more and better and cheaper (best eficiency achieved in may 2009) meanwhile accepting to take always more risks at work because less and less capital was injected into the site to preserve the industrial tool and infrastructures
 
We gave willingly without counting our sweat to keep our mill floating, sometimes gave our blood without asking why machine guardings were missing or why holes in the floor weren’t filled up in time or never.
 
Now we understand that the strategy was to press our mill until the last drop and consider that what’s left is pure garbage, just good enough to dismantle.
 
We are dying, you can’t do much for us but we hope that other sites won’t accept to be treated has we have been.
 
STOP ACCEPTING TO DO ALWAYS MORE WITHOUT SOLID AND WRITTEN ENGAGEMENTS because IP isn’t the ethic Group they pretend they are.
 
Be aware that many systems deployed by IP (Roadmap for personal competencies development, CSA, KES, Gallup, Safety/Enviro surveys …) are at the best useless because of the lack of will to spend capital on these subjects and at the worse are often diversions or tools to measure, compare and decide who to kill. Check if the official strategy isn’t bringing you to a point of no return like us…
 
IP isn’t committed to safety, environment, employee development, best practices and other bullsh*ts. These are just smokescreens build by an ever bigger pyramid of internal leeches autoproclaimed as “Supports services” in which more and more d*cks*ckers make they way up.
 
The small factories making the real economy are sucked to death by the stock market wishes and by theses internal *ssh*les.
 
IP made our mill weaker and weaker and now their terminators are surrounding us and the lethal injection is for soon. No future for us possible on the site. So all that’s left to us is a last battle to obtain the best compensation possible after such a traitorous attack. WE WILL FIGHT TILL OUR LAST BREATH. As a great man said in a similar case, struggling for a matter of life or death :
 
We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France,
we shall fight in front of the corrugators and IP customers,
we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength around our papermachines, we shall defend our mill, whatever the cost may be,
we shall fight on the riverside,
we shall fight on the storage grounds,
we shall fight in the warehouses and in the streets
we shall fight in the meeting-rooms;
we shall never surrender,
 
Please have a thought for the 109 families of the ETIENNE MILL IN FRANCE on the 30th of November when they will have to change life with a great feeling of having been totally f*cked to the bone.
 
Sorry for the rude words but our feelings are even worse
 
If you feel that you can safely reply to us, we will be pleased of receiving some support from you like kind words.
 
Thank you for reading this,
 
THE ETIENNE MILL STAFF
AND ALL THE OTHER PERSONS DIRECTLY CONCERNED BY THE CLOSURE OF THIS INTERNATIONAL PAPER MILL
 

TO THE ETIENNE MILL STAFF, We are very sorry that this has happened to you and we admire your strength to stand up for what few rights you have left. 

We do not endorse the use of foul language in writing to express ones self but I understand their frustration. We also do not endorse the validity of the claims made in this letter. It is posted here to aid this in-plant union committee in it's effort to organize the workforce of International Paper Lexington, Kentucky as a collective bargaining unit with the USW.  MBryant

09-08-09    

How about a survey on exactly how much of what we have heard in these latest meetings do we believe?  How many times have we all heard the same old story? "Things are going to change." "Things will get better."  "Give me a chance." Been there, Done that, bought the t-shirt and don't want to go back!  The only way anything will change is for us to organize a union and start bargaining instead of begging. Anytime a manager starts a meeting with announcing he has closed several plants is a scare tactic to get your attention focused on whatever message he wants to instill in your mind. OK here is a really good one... Mike Delaney's position was eliminated but they are going to hire another person to fill it? How does that equal an eliminated position? Sounds to me like they wanted to set up a scapegoat to take the fall for the problems in Lexington and, while I'm sure this eliminated position story is a ruse and Mike Delaney is probably getting a promotion, I guess they figured why not use this for a cover similar to the way they used Don in the last Union campaign. I mean why not? It worked back then.  Has anybody questioned the fact that these meetings are always scheduled for the last few minutes of the day? It seems to me they are trying to have their say and shove us out the door. Nobody really wants to ask questions if it means we are going to have to stay after our shift is over to get the answers. In my personal opinion, that's cowardice on the part of management to hide from their employees.  Management wants the truth on their survey? Since when? I don't think so...They want whatever makes life easy on them and keeps the "right people" in control. I mean, how do you face the truth if you are in denial? You speak the truth and it is instantly denied and whitewashed over like a rotten fence post.  I am going to be honest in saying I have taken it easy in these past campaigns. Protected some people to my own derision. That will be the case no more.  This factory needs a union badly. The workers need their rights protected from a management team that has gone far astray of the respect and dignity doctrine that was policy at one time. As an In-plant Union Committee Member, It is my chosen duty to attempt to bring that union to the people of the Lexington Facility and I shall not allow personal likes and dislikes to interfere with that duty any longer. Managers who insist on threatening and bullying employees shall be held accountable to the people for those actions in this campaign and all things said shall become public record for all to see as is my right under section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act.  In future writings I will be discussing the various safety violations that have been ignored and swept under the rug by this management team as well as several other bad practices. 

That's all for now.  Marcus Bryant

On this hot day in August, (08-10-09)  our management team decides to close several doors to our facility. Doors that have been traditionally left open to assist with the poor ventilation of this building.  Why you may ask?  There is no logical answer that I am aware of. In over 24 years of service at this facility I have never heard of this issue coming up until now.

 Keep in mind our management team just gave themselves a state of the art air conditioning system. You give them your hard work and sweat everyday as the production numbers show. Is this how they show you the respect and appreciation you deserve? By putting your health at risk through possible heat stroke?

 Reflect for a moment the track record of the new management’s safety program. No longer are we recognized as a VPP plant. They scrapped the program after spending a small fortune on it. Cost was the reason I am told. They replaced a well educated safety coordinator with an hourly worker who has nowhere near the enthusiasm or expertise as the man formerly in charge.

 I was told Denny gave him this  position to keep Memphis out of Lexington’s business. He doesn’t want them involved in our safety issues.

  I bet he doesn’t want them to know how they manipulate KIWI either. How orders are manipulated to take advantage of footage so they can get those big numbers. That’s another issue though. We will address that one soon in full detail!

 Several people in the past have had to seek medical attention due to heat issues. This is with the doors open.  Now they have shut the doors realizing the dangers involved.  Nothing of any value has been established by our management to deal with the increased risk to your safety by closing the doors. In legal terms, this is a case of negligence.

Should you become dizzy, or feel nauseas or faint, you should seek a cool place and get help. Even if you have to shut down the machine to do so.  Remember to pace yourself on the job. The harder you exert yourself in extreme heat, the greater the danger. If you need medical attention, request it immediately. Heat stroke is a very serious issue.

 If anyone is denied help or reprimanded for these things let us know. We can help you in following up with OSHA or the NLRB.

 The real danger is working for a management team who has no concern or respect for you, without a contract to protect you from this kind of arrogance. Or should I say ignorance. Very soon you will have a chance to change this. Reflect on this new policy when it comes time for you to make that decision.

05-04-09  All I can say about this is wow!

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Greenwashing? I have to admit that was a new one on me but after it was explained, It makes perfect sense.

“Green is green as in the color of money”
- Brand director of General Electric, Brandweek, July 26, 2006

“Greenwashing” is the act of misleading the public regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product, service, or business line.  Due to the public’s increased awareness of environmental issues, including global warming, deforestation, and the loss of endangered species, greenwashing has become a staple of corporations marketing efforts.  All of the companies in this article have made some effort to address these concerns.  Some of them appear to be trying harder than others, and even a few of them have made legitimate efforts to become responsible corporate stewards of the environment.  Evidenced by the support of environmental groups and corporate responsibility professionals, many of these companies’ green initiatives have made a positive impact.

The “Green” Hypocrisy: America’s Corporate Environment Champions Pollute The World

The irony of the "green" movement of U.S. companies is that many of the firms that spend the most money and public relations effort trying to show that they are trying to improve the environment are also among the most prolific polluters in the country. 24/7 Wall St. profiles 10 of the biggest offenders

 A majority of America's largest companies have become part of the "green" movement. Some have fleets of hybrid trucks. Others install solar panels on their large buildings to consume energy more cost effectively with less of an impact on the environment. Many give generously to environmental non-profit organizations.

 The irony is some of them are among the most prolific polluters in the country. Pollution does not mean that the companies are doing anything illegal.  Instead, it simply refers to natural consequence of the companies' industrial efforts which result in contamination to the air, soil or water by the discharge of substances that are toxic to the environment. 24/7 Wall St. has put together a list of the top 10 "greenwashers" in America. Continue through our gallery to see who made the list. 

1) General Electric (GE)

2) American Electric Power (AEP)

3) ExxonMobil (XOM)

4) DuPont (DFT)

5) Archer Daniels Midland (ADM)

6) Waste Management, Inc. (WMI)

7) International Paper (IP)

8) BP (BP)

9) Dow Chemical (DOW)

10) General Motors (GM)

In the early 1990s, following a series of reports issued by the United Nations on sustainable development and rainforest conservation, the forest products industry began to receive increased attention over its land-use strategies regarding logging.  Specifically, these companies, including International Paper, received negative publicity regarding their use of chemicals, clear-cutting, and inadequate conservation protection.  Informed by increased awareness of sustainable practices, third-party certification has become a critical tool for promoting ecologically responsible forestry practices.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international non-profit founded in 1993 by environmental groups, the forestry profession, and community groups.  Its stated purpose “is to improve forest management worldwide” by providing “a model for environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable forest stewardship.”

In 1994, International Paper, in collaboration with the American Forest & Paper Association (AFPA) – the national trade association for the forest, pulp, paper, paperboard, and wood products industry – founded the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).  According to AFPA website, the association’s members “agreed to adhere to a set of forestry principles that would meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

According to an independent study commissioned by both FSC and SFI, although SFI was initially developed as an industry led self-improvement program, “it has evolved into a program that promotes third-party certification of forestry practices of member companies and licensees.”  However, contrary to this assessment, environmental groups, including The Sierra Club, The Nation Environmental Defense Fund and the Rainforest Action Network have published reports critical of what they characterize as weak standards for certification.  According to these groups, because SFI standards were developed by the same industry that requires certification, SFI certification provides a measurement for sustainability that is weak on oversight and contrary to its stated purpose.

The US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is a rating tool of the nonprofit for green building design and construction that seeks to provide measurable results for building owners and occupants.  The LEED green building certification program for new construction requirements are intended to “encourage environmentally responsible forest management.”  The most recent version of LEED, with a scheduled launch of April 27, requires that new construction seeking the LEED designation must “Use a minimum of 50% (based on cost) of wood-based materials and products that are certified in accordance with the Forest Stewardship Council’s principles and criteria, for wood building components.”

FSC is not without its critics. It may be that some groups find both acceptable.  However, despite this criticism, 24/7 Wall St is unaware of any environmental groups that have suggested that SFI is better than FSC.

According to International Paper’s 2008 “Sustainability Update,” FSC certification in the U.S. reflects a fraction of the certification used by the company’s businesses.  Of the company’s 16 domestic paper mills only one uses FSC certification.  Similarly, domestic container plants and wood procurement systems both use SFI certification in lieu of FSC.

According to TRI, for the paper industry, International Paper was the largest producer of chemicals with fifteen facilities in the top 100 generating 42,554,027 pounds in waste.  The company also had the second highest producing facility of TRI production-related waste with 43,320,612 pounds.  According to PERI, International Paper is the thirty-first most toxic company with a toxic score of 49,385.

In 2008, the Rainforest Action Network condemned a proposal by International Paper to build a pulp mill and establish 1.2 million acres of plantation forest in Indonesia’s rainforest.  This came as a surprise to RAN because the company had established an internal policy that it would not expand into Indonesia because it is a global warming and biodiversity hot spot.

Following the release, Thomas E. Gestrich, president of International Paper Asia, explained the company’s plans in Indonesia.  Mr.Gestrich said that he would prefer land that had already been cleared, but failed to explain how the company would secure hundreds of thousands of meters of forest without disturbing the natural habitat, waters or indigenous peoples.

Out of the LCV’s Dirty Dozen, International Paper’s PAC has donated thousands of dollars to 5 of the Dirty Dozen, including the leading denier of global warming, Senator Jim Inhofe.

MBryant

02-07-09

“We like driving the car and we're not going to give the steering wheel to anybody but us.”

—Lee Scott, Wal-Mart CEO, cited by Thomas Frank in the Wall Street Journal

Hello fellow Union supporters and welcome to the first update of the new year. Yes that's right...we haven't given up, not yet and not by a long shot. We, like many of our fellow Union activists, are anxiously waiting to see where the Employee Free Choice Act takes us. As this act draws closer to becoming law, you will be bombarded by a well oiled corporate propaganda machine with a reported 200 million dollar campaign budget.  200 million dollars? Really? That tells me one thing, they are scared! Anytime you see big corporations striking a match to money like that it is in fear of loosing control.  A level of control described by the reported quote at the top of this article from Lee Scott the CEO of Wal-Mart. They are driving the car and we are just riding along. My question is...how has that worked out so far? The economy is in the toilet, the rich ruling class is investing all it's money in China and the American worker is taking a beating like never before and now the profiteering scoundrels that caused this mess in the first place with their million dollar bonuses and astronomical expense accounts are asking you to steer clear of a proposed act that will give you the right to negotiate a better future for you and you family?  And I hear if we go along with that, they have some lovely Arizona beach front property for sale too! Now, before someone misquotes me, I am not advocating that we kick corporate America while its down but I damn sure don't think we need to hand over the proverbial keys to the candy store. Facts are facts, the American hourly workforce had little to do with this recession. Quite to the contrary, we would love to buy new cars and houses but thanks to continued poor corporate decisions (like a 200 million dollar anti-union ad campaign) we are forced to live with what we have. Even when CEO's are caught with their hands in the cookie jar they still try to blame the demands of the workforce or claim entitlement to the millions of dollars they sucked out of the companies they head. In a Washington interview, President Obama referred to the Wall Street CEO's actions as "Shameful." Vice President Biden said they should be "Thrown in the Brig."

The American hourly workforce must take actions to protect its self and the future of labor in this country. We are being systematically sold out to the highest bidder by corporate CEO's that just don't care one way or the other. Why should they give two shakes about you,  your family or this country...with the pile of greed money they hauled out of so called "Public Held Corporations" They got theirs covered and they can always move to China.  And here is the really funny part...with this proposed government bailout they are asking the same people that the corporations have sold out and betrayed to fork over more money so they can keep doing business as usual. Some are even trying to use the money to pay promised bonuses to their CEO's Talk about adding insult to injury!  A BONUS? the dude was a grand failure in his job and ran his company into a ditch so bad that he has to beg for government assisted corporate welfare and he wants his bonus? The only bonus he deserves is a door knob in the ass as he leaves. One thing to remember...these are the same people that begrudge hourly employees the right to organize a union. 

In the coming months we will see what the Employee Free Choice Act brings us and Tony and I along with the rest of this committee will do our best to bring the most current information we have to you. Remember to work safe.

*NOTE* With the downturn in the economy some bosses may use this recession as an excuse to bypass safety. Don't risk your health and well being for anyone. If you feel you are being forced to work unsafely contact Kentucky OSHA and report the situation. 

Telephone

In closing I would like to leave you with these final remarks about Fair Trade.

It is not a Fair Trade situation when cut rate products manufactured by slave labor are introduced into the American Market. The workers in these countries are nothing more than slaves to the company they work for and may work their entire short lives for nothing more than food to stay alive. Some of those that are lucky enough to be paid will receive less than 5% of an American workers wages with no benefits. That is 5 cents on the dollar per hour that these people make. It is small wonder that they can sell this junk so cheaply. Our government must halt the influx of this type of product and deem it an unfair trade advantage. We, as American workers, can not and will not live on third world pay in order for corporations to report record profits and hand out million dollar bonus checks to the privileged few.  Organized labor has worked for years to stop this and to raise the standards of employment not only for this country but for nations abroad. Trade is only fair when it is done on a level playing field.

Marcus B

9-17-08

Click on this Link for information about the Employee Free Choice Act and those sickening anti union TV ads. More Updates on the way soon