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District 1 Retreat Expands Safety and Health Goals
District 1 brought together 44 local occupational safety and health coordinators from nearly every CWA sector, Nov. 16, in Albany, N.Y. to examine not only how to promote safer workplaces but also how to use safety and health as a platform for mobilization and for organizing.
Local health and safety coordinators from the IUE-CWA manufacturing sector, telecom, state and local government, health care and media shared a wide range of experiences during a full day of panel discussions.
"I have never seen this kind of diversified leadership at any CWA event," said CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen, whose office oversees the union's safety and health programs.
Jerry Hayes, assistant to Vice President Larry Mancino, welcomed participants to the District 1 Occupational Safety and Health retreat, put together by CWA OSH Director David LeGrande and Micki Siegel, a health and safety professional employed in the District 1 office under a grant from New York state. LeGrande said his office is planning similar retreats with each of the other six districts.
LeGrande and Siegel alternately served as moderators for three panels composed of local safety and health activists: Steve Carney, CWA 1103, John Vasko, IUE-CWA 81381 and Steve Barreres, NABET-CWA 51016 on Local Union Issues; Vice President Pat Affourtit, CWA 1126, and Edward Karecki, IUE-CWA 81416 on Using Joint and Union Occupational Safety and
Health Committees to Identify and Resolve Issues; Diane Moats, CWA 1168, Ted Comick, IUE-CWA 81201, and Pres. Jane Howald, CWA 14177, on OSH as a Mobilization and Organizing Tool; and Vice President Bill Henning, CWA 1180, and Larry Endicott, CWA 1040, on Achieving Success: Local Union Resources.
LeGrande said the group discussed OSH practices and violations at Verizon, GE, Delphi Battery, Kaleida Health, ABC, New Era, New Jersey state and New York City governments.
"We're developing a GroupWise network across sectors to help more than 700 CWA local health and safety coordinators work more closely together," LeGrande said.
Local health and safety coordinators from the IUE-CWA manufacturing sector, telecom, state and local government, health care and media shared a wide range of experiences during a full day of panel discussions.
"I have never seen this kind of diversified leadership at any CWA event," said CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen, whose office oversees the union's safety and health programs.
Jerry Hayes, assistant to Vice President Larry Mancino, welcomed participants to the District 1 Occupational Safety and Health retreat, put together by CWA OSH Director David LeGrande and Micki Siegel, a health and safety professional employed in the District 1 office under a grant from New York state. LeGrande said his office is planning similar retreats with each of the other six districts.
LeGrande and Siegel alternately served as moderators for three panels composed of local safety and health activists: Steve Carney, CWA 1103, John Vasko, IUE-CWA 81381 and Steve Barreres, NABET-CWA 51016 on Local Union Issues; Vice President Pat Affourtit, CWA 1126, and Edward Karecki, IUE-CWA 81416 on Using Joint and Union Occupational Safety and
Health Committees to Identify and Resolve Issues; Diane Moats, CWA 1168, Ted Comick, IUE-CWA 81201, and Pres. Jane Howald, CWA 14177, on OSH as a Mobilization and Organizing Tool; and Vice President Bill Henning, CWA 1180, and Larry Endicott, CWA 1040, on Achieving Success: Local Union Resources.
LeGrande said the group discussed OSH practices and violations at Verizon, GE, Delphi Battery, Kaleida Health, ABC, New Era, New Jersey state and New York City governments.
"We're developing a GroupWise network across sectors to help more than 700 CWA local health and safety coordinators work more closely together," LeGrande said.