Recently there was a shooting at one of our local major hospitals. It took this event for all surrounding hospitals to impliment a procedure to help keep employees & public safe. So as a proactive bargained safety committee, is it unreal to address such an issue & possibly think of ways to keep our employees safe?
Dissolving safety committee's does really work!
- Thread starter Kruldingo
- Start date
Dracula
Package Car is cake compared to this...
one
Because safety committees do very little to actually combat safety. They are for the company to say it honorably address safety issues (they don't), and for a handful of employees to get a lot of extra time. I've said it many times, if UPS wants to take this problem seriously, they would bring in EVERY employee like they do with the SC. But they're not willing to do that. Proper safety training costs real money. Case in point: very few drivers will know, word for word, the safety questions, 10 Point commentary, 5 seeing habits, etc. Why would they? Are they supposed to do it at home? Off the clock? A one or two minute long safety PCM for package car drivers, while they are trying to think how they are going get their air off, or how they are going to get done that day, is a typical UPS approach to safety, and they get what they pay for.
I'll do whatever they want, safety-wise, but I won't do it for free. This is why the safety committee is a joke.
oldngray
nowhere special
Safety committee is also powerless. They can identify problems but nothing will be done if it affects the numbers. And not really management's fault for not listening. Their hands are tied and they are not allowed to make most of the changes involving safety. Its just so UPS can claim its all about safety which of course is nothing but a joke in real world situations.
UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)
Well-Known Member
Do you think the company installed the rear view cameras out of the goodness of their hearts or were they installed as a result of a very young child being run over?
Money trumps safety every time.
soberups
Pees in the brown Koolaid
Unless that procedure involves armed, on site security, or at the very least allowing employees with concealed handgun licenses to carry on company property....then the only things being implemented are a bunch of warm and fuzzy feel-good half-measures. Hanging up a few additional "no guns allowed" signs on the walls... handing out brochures about "violence awareness"...or hiring some unarmed "security guard" with a plastic badge to walk around the place with a walkie-talkie for $10 an hour...wont do a damn thing to stop some armed lunatic from walking in and lighting the place up. The only way you can stop an armed lunatic is to put some lead through his head and if you have to wait 5 or 10 minutes for any sort of armed response to arrive then a lot of innocent people can get hurt or killed in the process.
soberups
Pees in the brown Koolaid
Its all really simple.
1. UPS is required by OSHA to have safety committees.
2. Each operation is therefore allocated a defined budget to be spent solely on OSHA safety committee compliance.
3. The goal of the company is to create a "committee in a bottle" that generates enough paperwork to demonstrate compliance with the OSHA mandate while at the same time protecting the company from the risk of any further expenses associated with safety.
4. The commitees are required to exist, but it is not required...nor is it even desired...for those committees to actually accomplish anything; any sort of actual accomplishment exposes the company to the risk of expenses that exceed what has already been budgeted.
It is not, and never has been, about safety. Its about compliance, and nothing more.
1. UPS is required by OSHA to have safety committees.
2. Each operation is therefore allocated a defined budget to be spent solely on OSHA safety committee compliance.
3. The goal of the company is to create a "committee in a bottle" that generates enough paperwork to demonstrate compliance with the OSHA mandate while at the same time protecting the company from the risk of any further expenses associated with safety.
4. The commitees are required to exist, but it is not required...nor is it even desired...for those committees to actually accomplish anything; any sort of actual accomplishment exposes the company to the risk of expenses that exceed what has already been budgeted.
It is not, and never has been, about safety. Its about compliance, and nothing more.
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Integrity
Binge Poster
In response to the above posts,
It is apparent that many do not know about the contract language regarding safety committees.
I personally mean you no disrespect but the contract is crystal clear that if the safety committee is unable to resolve a safety and health concern then the issue must be subjected to a grievance. (This can be found in the Master Article 18 Section 20.4 page 60)
This is contract language that is clearly intended to keep the safety committee and the safety process accountable to the Union.
Have you filed grievances about the concerns that you consider make the committees a joke?
Sincerely,
I
I personally mean you no disrespect but have you seen the politics at panel hearings? I am a steward as well & know the contract very well & know the Art & language you speak of. So I file a grievance stating the company will not address excessive o/t as a safety hazard & I get the same old "well you should have known when you were hired that there is many hours to this job & is not a family friendly kinda job"
Integrity
Binge Poster
Kruldingo,
What was your local Union leaders position on this?
How did you present your argument about the excessive o/t as a safety hazard? Are you exceeding your DOT hours?
Sincerely,
I
Dracula
Package Car is cake compared to this...
Yeah, supervisors working, Article 37 harassment, and Central Region Article 17...when those grievances get resolved, maybe then we'll file on the safety committees. I don't think you see the forest for the trees. I know what the language in the contract is. There is nothing in it to include all members on a safety committee, so that is the whole point. What is the purpose of having a handful of workers attend a safety meeting once a week? How is that supposed to help the majority of workers who aren't allowed to attend? And if the majority get nothing out of it, why do we even have the handful in the committees in the first place?
Integrity
Binge Poster
Sincerely,
I
Dracula
Package Car is cake compared to this...
I'm not going to keep beating a dead horse here, because you're not getting the larger point, which is: the safety committee does very, very little in keeping anyone safe. The point about other grievances is that many of those grievances never get properly solved, so you think a safety committee grievance is going to do any good? You don't file grievances, I'm guessing. The contract says a lot of things. If every member of a center volunteered to be on the safety committee, do you really think they will all be allowed to participate? Of course not.
I have no desire to be a hypocrite and be a member of the safety committee. I have nothing against anyone who is a member...I know what it is for, extra money, and I already work over 55 hours a week. Thanks, but I'm covered.
I have no desire to be a hypocrite and be a member of the safety committee. I have nothing against anyone who is a member...I know what it is for, extra money, and I already work over 55 hours a week. Thanks, but I'm covered.
Out west here, we call the rear view camera "THE NANCY DEVICE". UPS installed the cameras here shortly after an onroad supervisor following a pkg car driver, pulled up too close behind him while he was attempting a three point turn and he backed into her because he couldnt see that she placed herself into his blind spot.
From that point on, the cameras are officially called "THE NANCY DEVICE".
True story.
Peace
TOS
In this new contract, the safety committees will do EVEN Less than they do today. NO longer will they do any work that can be "interpreted" as managers work. No more observations, NO more standing on street corners and watching drivers, no more field inspections and no more REPORTS.
They can give out papers, and give speeches and such, but they cannot leave the property and do any type of action that could be considered supervisory actions.
This is probably the only solid piece of contract language negotiated presently.
Peace
TOS
They can give out papers, and give speeches and such, but they cannot leave the property and do any type of action that could be considered supervisory actions.
This is probably the only solid piece of contract language negotiated presently.
Peace
TOS
Integrity
Binge Poster
Sincerely,
I
You really need to get laid!!!!!!!!!!!
Integrity
Binge Poster
IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U,
You are sadly mistaken.
How on earth would you even begin to think that you can comment on the frequency with which I have sexual intercourse with my wife?
You are way out of line and you are very wrong.
Sincerely,
I
UPS Preloader
Well-Known Member
tourists24
Well-Known Member
He never mentioned your wife I......
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