UAW Announces Campaign to Improve Working Conditions
On Workers Memorial Day, UAW Calls for Labor, Management, and Government to Join Forces to 'Stop the Pain'
DETROIT, April 25 -- UAW President Stephen P. Yokich today issued a Workers Memorial Day call to all workers, unions, employers, and elected officials to join forces to stop deaths, injuries, and diseases caused by hazardous conditions in the workplace.
"Workers Memorial Day is a time to remember those workers who have suffered and died on the job, and to recommit ourselves to preventing similar tragedies in the future," Yokich said.
Designated as Workers Memorial Day in 1989 by the AFL-CIO, April 28 is the anniversary of the landmark Occupational Safety and Health Act. The theme of Workers Memorial Day 1997 is "Stop the Pain!" to focus attention on the need for an OSHA standard on ergonomics to protect workers from repetitive stress injuries (RSIs) and back strain injuries, which each year afflict more than 700,000 American workers.
Noting that these injuries are the nation's biggest job safety problem, Yokich said: "Many, if not all, crippling RSIs and back strain injuries could be prevented by implementing simple, cost-efficient ergonomic solutions. By paying attention to ergonomics, we can prevent incalculable pain and suffering as well as billions of dollars each year in health care costs and time lost from work.
"Nonetheless, some employers, trade associations, and their Republican allies in Congress are fighting to prevent OSHA from issuing ergonomic standards. What's more, they want to change workers' compensation laws to cut benefits or eliminate coverage for RSIs," Yokich continued.
"That approach is both morally blind and financially shortsighted," Yokich stressed. "Protecting working men and women from needless crippling injuries shouldn't be a labor versus management issue or a partisan issue. The challenge of making America's workplaces safe and healthy demands the full cooperation of labor, employers, and government."
SOURCE UAW
