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CWA Mourns Its Own on Workers Memorial Day
CWA members joined unionists around the country on April 28 to remember thousands of workers who have died on the job and to call attention to the Bush administration's poor record on workplace safety. And for some who participated, the rallies, candlelight vigils or other Workers' Memorial Day activities orchestrated by AFL-CIO central labor bodies brought back painful memories of colleagues lost or injured.
William McFadden of Local 9410 in San Francisco, an SBC technician, died Jan. 18 while on loan to the Redding, Calif., area for storm trouble. A12-kilovolt power conductor fell on him.
Another Local 9410 member, Henry Velasquez, was electrocuted in December 2002. It took a year for him to recover sufficiently from his burns to return to work at SBC. His vision is impaired, also a result of the accident according to local Vice President Gayle Crawley.
The company is denying his workers' compensation claim, "but he's going to walk our picket line," Crawley said. "He's an amazing man."
Last year, a member of the local's safety committee, Jim Grahame, died of mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. An auto mechanic for SBC, he worked with asbestos brake shoes. Grahame was 52.
"A week before he died, he attended a safety committee meeting for the purpose of having SBC place labels on asbestos hazards in their buildings," said Local 9410 Safety Committee Chair Dave Hurlburt. "We are still fighting to get this done."
Hurlburt brought his local's stories to light as a guest on a local radio talk show.
In Cincinnati, Local 4400 Local President Tim Donoghue attended a memorial service for Charles Woeste, a lineman for Cincinnati Bell killed on the job Aug. 20, 2003, and other workers who lost their lives on the job.
Woest had 34 years of service with the company. He was 52. He was decapitated when his lanyard became entangled in the motorized cable take-up reel on his bucket truck. Donoghue said the company has been cited for two major safety violations.
"Even one senseless death because of inadequate worker protections is too many," said CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen, who leads the union's safety and health efforts.
He pointed out that, while Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act 34 years ago, saving hundreds of thousands of lives and preventing millions of workplace injuries, "Regrettably, the Bush administration has turned its back on workers and workplace safety."
The administration has favored voluntary safety and health programs over enforcement of the law by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It also repealed the ergonomics standard and employer record-keeping requirements for ergonomic injuries, noted CWA OSH Director Dave LeGrande.
William McFadden of Local 9410 in San Francisco, an SBC technician, died Jan. 18 while on loan to the Redding, Calif., area for storm trouble. A12-kilovolt power conductor fell on him.
Another Local 9410 member, Henry Velasquez, was electrocuted in December 2002. It took a year for him to recover sufficiently from his burns to return to work at SBC. His vision is impaired, also a result of the accident according to local Vice President Gayle Crawley.
The company is denying his workers' compensation claim, "but he's going to walk our picket line," Crawley said. "He's an amazing man."
Last year, a member of the local's safety committee, Jim Grahame, died of mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. An auto mechanic for SBC, he worked with asbestos brake shoes. Grahame was 52.
"A week before he died, he attended a safety committee meeting for the purpose of having SBC place labels on asbestos hazards in their buildings," said Local 9410 Safety Committee Chair Dave Hurlburt. "We are still fighting to get this done."
Hurlburt brought his local's stories to light as a guest on a local radio talk show.
In Cincinnati, Local 4400 Local President Tim Donoghue attended a memorial service for Charles Woeste, a lineman for Cincinnati Bell killed on the job Aug. 20, 2003, and other workers who lost their lives on the job.
Woest had 34 years of service with the company. He was 52. He was decapitated when his lanyard became entangled in the motorized cable take-up reel on his bucket truck. Donoghue said the company has been cited for two major safety violations.
"Even one senseless death because of inadequate worker protections is too many," said CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen, who leads the union's safety and health efforts.
He pointed out that, while Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act 34 years ago, saving hundreds of thousands of lives and preventing millions of workplace injuries, "Regrettably, the Bush administration has turned its back on workers and workplace safety."
The administration has favored voluntary safety and health programs over enforcement of the law by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It also repealed the ergonomics standard and employer record-keeping requirements for ergonomic injuries, noted CWA OSH Director Dave LeGrande.