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Mourning Our 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 this past Jan. 18 while on loan to the Redding, Calif., area for storm trouble. A 12-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.
The company is denying his workers' compensation claim but, said local Vice President Gayle Crawley prior to the SBC strike, "He's going to walk our picket line. He's an amazing man."
Last year, the chair of the local's safety committee, Jim Grahame, died of mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, one year after retiring from SBC. He was only 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. We are still fighting to get this done," said Dave Hurlburt, who replaced Grahame as safety committee chair.
Also, Local 9423, San Jose, Calif., lost an SBC garage mechanic, Chuck Cash, to the same incurable disease, and a second mechanic has been diagnosed, Hurlburt said. They had worked with asbestos brake shoes.
Hurlburt brought these stories to light as a guest on KPFA radio in Berkeley, Calif. KPFA staff are represented by Local 9415.
CWA Health and Safety Director David LeGrande said bipartisan legislation sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), Senator Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and others would provide compensation to asbestos victims but would require a level of proof CWA members could not likely meet. "The legislation is conveniently designed to exclude most workers," LeGrande said. After a year and a half of negotiations, the legislation stalled in early May.
CWA and the AFL-CIO remain committed to seeking fair compensation for asbestos victims, LaGrande said.
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 LeGrande.
William McFadden of Local 9410 in San Francisco, an SBC technician, died this past Jan. 18 while on loan to the Redding, Calif., area for storm trouble. A 12-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.
The company is denying his workers' compensation claim but, said local Vice President Gayle Crawley prior to the SBC strike, "He's going to walk our picket line. He's an amazing man."
Last year, the chair of the local's safety committee, Jim Grahame, died of mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, one year after retiring from SBC. He was only 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. We are still fighting to get this done," said Dave Hurlburt, who replaced Grahame as safety committee chair.
Also, Local 9423, San Jose, Calif., lost an SBC garage mechanic, Chuck Cash, to the same incurable disease, and a second mechanic has been diagnosed, Hurlburt said. They had worked with asbestos brake shoes.
Hurlburt brought these stories to light as a guest on KPFA radio in Berkeley, Calif. KPFA staff are represented by Local 9415.
CWA Health and Safety Director David LeGrande said bipartisan legislation sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), Senator Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and others would provide compensation to asbestos victims but would require a level of proof CWA members could not likely meet. "The legislation is conveniently designed to exclude most workers," LeGrande said. After a year and a half of negotiations, the legislation stalled in early May.
CWA and the AFL-CIO remain committed to seeking fair compensation for asbestos victims, LaGrande said.
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 LeGrande.