Labor Notes takes a deep dive into job safety with Steward’s Corner: Bosses Want To Fix The Worker, Unions Want To ix The Job….
Bosses want to fix the worker. Their first and often only idea to reduce illnesses and injuries is to require gloves and other personal protective equipment (PPE). They focus on getting workers to work safely by threatening discipline and punishment.
The union wants to fix the job itself. Identify and eliminate hazards. Reduce existing hazards with engineering controls like improving ventilation or safer procedures, slowing down the work, increasing staff, or rearranging the workspace.
The boss wants workers to think about safety his way. But workers become passionate when they start thinking about safety like unions do. Injuries turn from “I did something stupid” to “The boss set me up for this injury.”
Safety can be a way to build connections and power on the shop floor, and can even lead to walk-outs. Workers at the Warren, Michigan, Stamping Plant owned by Stellantis voted May 6 to authorize a strike if multiple safety hazards aren’t fixed.
(Graphic courtesy of Ciker-Free-Vector Images from Pixabay)
