CWA District 2 and 13 Occupational Safety and Health Conference Call

Conducted Monday, December 14, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Participants-

Robin Young, Secretary, CWA Local 2001
Nancy Paul, Secretary, CWA Local 2105
Mike Parker, Executive Vice President, CWA Local 2107
Johnny Brown, Secretary-Treasurer, CWA Local 2108
Mark Wood, CWA Local 2201
Alex Long, Vice President, CWA Local 2202
Alan Johnson, Vice President, CWA Local 2204
Travis Carpenter, Vice President,  Don Lewis and Jesse Davis, CWA Local 2222
Claudia Cole, Vice President, CWA Local 2336
Bill Evitt, CWA Representative, CWA District 2
David LeGrande, CWA Occupational Safety and Health Director

Agenda-

Participant Reports/New Issues-
Alan Johnson, CWA Local 2204, raised an issue re. technicians use of 911 and problems with identifying their calling location. Claudia Cole mentioned the same problems exist within the jurisdiction of Local 2336. Verizon has indicated it is updating the DEPC emergency procedures which contain phone numbers for technicians. Alan said he would provide follow-up information re. the company procedures and identification numbers. Upon receipt, he agreed to provide this information to other District 2 Local OSH activists, Bill Evitt, and David LeGrande. In addition, other local union representatives on the joint District 2 CWA/Verizon occupational safety and health committee said they would request this data for their geographic jurisdictions.

Mark Wood, CWA Local 2201, discussed a VOSH complaint and citation against Verizon re. unsafe confined space load bars which resulted in foot/leg injuries to two technicians. Mark said he would request data from the manufacturer outlining load bar procedures and provide that to District 2 Local OSH activists, Bill Evitt, and David LeGrande.

Alan Johnson, CWA Local 2204, asked whether travel to and from the Verizon Day of Safety should be still counted as work time. David LeGrande indicated the federal law provides for such coverage, thus, Verizon must make these payments to involved technicians.

Review of 2009 CWA Occupational Safety and Health Conference-
David LeGrande thanked all District 2 local OSH activists for their participation in the OSH Conference. In addition, he outlined the various panel 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 webpage, www.cwasafetyandhealth.org, for more detailed information.

Electrical Grounding/Bonding-
David LeGrande provided updated information re. Verizon's adherence to electrical grounding/bonding procedures during FIOS installation. He referenced an August 5, 2008 decision issued by the New York Department of Public Service which found Verizon to be non-compliant with the National Electrical Code (NEC) and spelled out requirements the Company must comply with. In response, Verizon revised its "Method and Procedure Release" for "Provisioning and Maintenance- Installation and Maintenance FIOS Process and System Support: FIOS Single Family Unit ONT Grounding Practices," dated October 23, 2008. This document brought the Company into compliance with the NEC. David will provide this documentation to Bill Evitt for distribution to District 2 local unions.

The Employee Free Choice Act and Occupational Safety and Health-
David LeGrande indicated Congressional movement on the Employee Free Choice Act has been stalled as a result of attention to health care reform legislation. It is anticipated the Employee Free Choice Act will be acted upon during the early part of 2010.

Advances in Occupational Safety and Health during the Obama Administration-
David LeGrande indicated the Administration's actions in support of occupational and environmental safety and health including the nomination (and confirmation) of Hilda Solis as Secretary of Labor; the nomination and confirmation of Dr. David Michaels as Assistant Secretary of Labor- OSHA; the appointment of Jordan Barab as Deputy Assistant Secretary- OSHA; the selection of Dr. John Howard as NIOSH Director; and Lisa Jackson as EPA Administrator. These actions have led to several advances in occupational and environmental safety and health.

CWA- University of California at Irvine Ergonomics and Job Stress Study-
David LeGrande provided a brief description of the study involving CWA technicians employed by Verizon. A very high number of troubling occurrences of health problems associated with physical ergonomics and job stress were identified. In the near future, this information will be summarized and provided to the Union's leaders and OSH activists.

CWA/USW-
David LeGrande noted CWA and the USW had recently submitted a five-year training grant proposal to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). NIEHS will announce the awards during the Spring, 2010. Also, during the remainder of the present grant year, i.e., through July, 2010, CWA's Safety and Health Department will be working closely with the USW Health, Safety, and Environment Department in grant training activities. In that regard, in coordination with Bill Evitt and Alex Minishak, David encouraged locals to submit names of OSH activists who would like to get involved in this process.    

Date of the Next CWA District 2 and 13 Occupational Safety and Health Conference Call-
The date of the next CWA District 2 and 13 Occupational Safety and health conference call will be conducted Monday, March 15, 2010 from 10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.