Safety Committee

[mikestrek]

I believe most of you have a safety committee? We do in our center. Our safety committee was hand picked by our management team. Some in our center are saying that being on the safety comimittee is a sweet position to have. Easy o/t clocking on early. Days off route working inside. Also safety awards being handed out to your buddies and not to the employees that are working there tale ends off to remain safe.

We have been told that the Union should have a say as to who should be on the safety committee. As I mentioned all have been hand picked by our management team. They even picked a shop Steward we all don't trust. Yes, we plan to vote him out but that's a whole new thread.

How did all of you pick your Safety Committee? Did you take a vote? Was it by seniority? In our center it seems the safety committee is becoming a place for management to reward there favorite employees.

I'll also have to mention, Our center almost always fails our surprise audits. Our safety committee just gives everyone the answers to all the cbt questions and the chsp questions.

What's your safety Committee like?

[over9five]

Originally Posted by mikestrek

What's your safety Committee like?

Pretty much as you described.

Hand picked by the management team. But this is because no-one will volunteer to be on it, so they armtwist the young guys to do it.

I won't say much cuz' I'm very anti safety committee. They do nothing "real". The company dictates what they can and cannot do.

[UpstateNYUPSer]

We all drew straws and those with the short straws were named to the Safety Committee.

[feeder53]

I would work on a safety committee if I had the ability to have input and
implement change.

[scoobypanda]

9 years ago my shop steward saw the importance of using safety and the safety committee as a tool. He asked me to join and a few years ago when our co-chair went into feeder the stewards asked me to become co-chair. We put our strong union guys on the committee and management has no say whatsoever in who we bring in. We bring in people who are genuinely interested in improving workplace safety and if they in any way reduce our credibility we remove them. Our safety picture has improved almost 400% over the last 6 years. Steward involvement is the key to earning credibility with the workforce and squeezing management's balls is the key to gaining genuine improvements. They know our committee is a necessary evil so to speak and they in turn use our excellent safety numbers to keep their bosses at bay when we miss production numbers or volume development numbers. We use them, they use us, and everyone wins. We showed years ago that as the paid day increases, our injury rate goes up. We now run just over 9 hour paid day, including union time, safety activities and coffee.I have heard a lot on this forum about ineffective committees and it saddens me. If you are genuinely concerned with their ineffectiveness I urge you to take over. Make it YOUR committee. Read the language, the union chooses who can or cannot be involved and there are tons of useful and effective things things that can be done. Use your brains and balls and be patient. It will take time to turn management around if they are set in their ways and believe that it is their committee.

[dillweed]

sorry to go off topic but scooby, is that a cattle dog you have there?

[ikoi62]

Originally Posted by over9five

Pretty much as you described.

Hand picked by the management team. But this is because no-one will volunteer to be on it, so they armtwist the young guys to do it.

I won't say much cuz' I'm very anti safety committee. They do nothing "real". The company dictates what they can and cannot do.

our local wont recognize the safety committee and has instructed the members not to participate any longer, when i find out why ill post again. but i think it was because the members who were involved were just drivers who put their letter of intent in.

[scoobypanda]

Originally Posted by dillweed

sorry to go off topic but scooby, is that a cattle dog you have there?

We went to adopt a small or medium dog and were told he was a terrier mix, maybe a jack russell. A week later, he had doubled in size and our vet said probably shepherd/husky. He is now 85 lbs and he is awesome. I am so glad they screwed up at the shelter.

[But Benefits Are Great!]

Originally Posted by feeder53

I would work on a safety committee if I had the ability to have input and implement change.

...that and if the pay was decent....

[New Englander]

The Union is allowed to have someone go to the safety stuff if they want.

[soberups]

Being appointed to the "Safety Committee" is kind of like being responsible for the steering wheel on a locomotive. UPS will let you wear the engineer hat and ring the bell and blow the whistle, but the train is only going where they want it to.
To even call it a "safety commitee" is a misnomer. A more accurate term would be "Keter Audit paper-grading committee." Not that there is anything wrong with grading papers or practicing for an audit, it just doesnt have anything to do with actually making us safer.

[sx2700]

LOL @ safety committee.....I "won" a $50 gift card over 2 years ago. I'm still waiting for it.

[But Benefits Are Great!]

Originally Posted by soberups

Being appointed to the "Safety Committee" is kind of like being responsible for the steering wheel on a locomotive...

I really like that...

[feeder53]

SOBER, that is what my post was getting at IF they want safety and are willing to do whatever it takes to get it, then I would participate. I work withing the regulations and laws govorning my Military job and there is the same ole thing here too. They "Interpret it" in an obtuse way and off to legal for another week and then it comes back as stated.....but after the fact. I also get hammered because I bring it up, until the stuff hits the fan.

[brownrodster]

The missload comittee... If you want to spend 1 or 2 days per week driving around shuttling missloads then by all means join the safety, er, missload comittee.

[helenofcalifornia]

Scooby, I think you are working in the "alternate universe" UPS world and Sober is describing fairly accurately how the safety committees work in most centers/hubs. Safety committees should work like they do in your center, but unfortunately, they are more like the one Sober depicts.

[covemaster]

i'm gonnah join the saftey committee and rat out & get all the senior guys fired so i''ll be top a$$ kisser and have the best rte and vaca

[scoobypanda]

Originally Posted by helenofcalifornia

Scooby, I think you are working in the "alternate universe" UPS world and Sober is describing fairly accurately how the safety committees work in most centers/hubs. Safety committees should work like they do in your center, but unfortunately, they are more like the one Sober depicts.

Our committee was started by management when atlanta instructed them to do so. It too was a joke. Then my steward took over and brought in strong union people. Now when we get new managers or supes in our building they bitch and moan for a week or two then they end up with their tails between their legs. They are handing us the tools and if we aren't using them, we are fools. I can't describe how great it was when I got an OJS and started to stretch & flex at my 1st stop. My supe was halfway to the door when he turned and saw me and his jaw just dropped. They pay a physical therapist to give demonstrations twice a month in our building, so of course I am following their instructions and it is killing them inside. Hourlies and the Union are always playing defense. Corporate's safety program lets us play offense. If you are "on the back forty" and don't have time to commit to changing this, then I suggest finding a solid 15 year vet to get the ball rolling. Within a year and a half, I promise a real culture change. We now have 3 buildings in our district rolling along and we're starting to fix a fourth. There is a saying, "the best defense is a good offense". I am playing offense and no one has checked to see if my shoes are polished in 5 years, know what I mean?

[cgrant55]

Well as far as the safety committee goes, I dont really think we have one. I mean we have a chair, and a co-chair, but beyond that its just random people whoever decide to show up to the monthly meeting. Not to mention that this monthly meeting is a complete joke. I could honestly tell you exactly what will happen before I even go. Everyone voices the same concerns that they have had for months, which somehow havent been resolved yet. Hmm strange. haha. Anyway, then they read off Jha's for like 20 minutes. Then our chair and usually a supervisor or center manager get into an argument because its taking too long and they want us off the clock. Basically a complete waste of everyones time but at least its paid right? lol

[speeddemon]

Anyone can be on ours. IM on it and its just about guaranteed 40 bux an hour.

[UpstateNYUPSer]

Originally Posted by covemaster

i'm gonnah join the saftey committee and rat out & get all the senior guys fired so i''ll be top a$$ kisser and have the best rte and vaca

Just make sure that you have someone else keep the minutes of the meetings.

[mikestrek]

Originally Posted by sx2700

LOL @ safety committee.....I "won" a $50 gift card over 2 years ago. I'm still waiting for it.

Somebody on the Safety Committee probably took it. Seriously.