CWA District 6 Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Conference Call

Conducted on Thursday, December 3, 2009 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. (CST)

Participants-
Cindy Mills, CWA Local 6012
Ron Dye, President, CWA Local 6016
Kim Black, President, CWA Local 6127
Helen Amador, President, CWA Local 6137
Darren Lacy, CWA Local 6151
Ron Horn, President, CWA Local 6311
Ed Stephens, President, CWA Local 6314
Linda Nesler, President, CWA Local 6360
Jason Burns, President, CWA Local 6401
David Bagwell and Sonya Gilmore, Executive Board members, CWA Local 6507
Charlie Torres, CWA Representative and
David LeGrande, CWA Occupational Safety and Health Director  

Agenda-

Participants Reports/New Issues-
Charlie Torres indicated he would be initiating activities to revitalize the CWA District 6/AT&T Occupational Safety and Health Committee.

In announcing the Safety and Health Department's initiation of a heat stress campaign during early 2010, David LeGrande asked participants of their concerns. Noting discussions during previous District 6 OSH Conference Calls which focused upon heat stress issues among technicians performing work in residential attics and working outside, participants indicated they would be glad to participate. David said he would be putting together the components of the campaign during December. During this time, he would send a draft of the materials for review and comment.

Ron Horn, CWA Local 6311, suggested attention also be given to working in cold temperatures. David LeGrande suggested participants review and use the Union's safety and health fact sheet "Temperature Extremes and the Workplace" as they deal with member concerns. Further, he suggested featuring this fact sheet on the Union's safety and health webpage, www.cwasafetyandhealth.org.

Darren Lacy, CWA Local 6151, asked about the status of workplace ergonomics and stress activities (Local 6151 represents call center workers who experience repetitive motion health problems). David LeGrande mentioned a customer service workplace ergonomics and job stress campaign was being drafted to address these concerns. This campaign will be initiated during the early part of 2010. He said materials would be provided for input from CWA OSH activists.

Review of the 2009 CWA Occupational Safety and Health Conference-  David LeGrande thanked Vice President Milburn, Charlie Torres, and the  11 local union  District 6 OSH activists for their participation in the conference (Of note, six Local 6201 OSH activists attended- the largest number of participants from a single local union). In addition, he outlined the various presentations and workshops as well as participation by OSH activists from the United Steelworkers (USW), academics, and key CWA officers and staff. He encouraged conference call participants to visit the Safety and Health Department's website, www.cwasafetyandhealth.org, for more detailed information.

The Employee Free Choice Act and Occupational Safety and Health-
David LeGrande provided updated information re. the status of the Employee Free Choice Act indicating legislative action has been slowed as a result of CWA and the labor movement's primary focus upon passage of health care reform legislation. Participants reported they will continue to communicate with their members as well as press elected officials for support of the key legislation.

Occupational/Environmental Safety and Health during the Obama Administration-
David LeGrande mentioned the various appointments of pro-worker personnel to top positions within the U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA, and EPA which has already led to activities intended to revitalize the destructive work of the Bush Administration intended to prevent these agencies from completing their legislative mandates. This work will directly translate into opportunities for expanding CWA's workplace and environmental safety and health efforts.

National/Regional Regulatory/Legislative Issues-
Participants indicated there were not any active campaigns activities focused upon workplace safety and health within their states.

CWA/USW Occupational Safety and Health Training-
David LeGrande discussed the Union's plans to continue expanding the CWA/USW occupational and environmental safety and health work into joint training and education, leadership development, and other areas during 2010. This includes jointly developing and submitting grants, conducting safety and health training, sharing and developing training and education materials, and working jointly on legislative and regulatory initiatives.

Date of the Next CWA District 6 Occupational Safety and Health Conference Call-
The scheduled date for the next CWA District 6 Occupational Safety and Health Conference Call is March 4, 2010 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. (CST).