Union Approach to Health and Safety: - United Steelworkers

United Steelworkers
Health, Safety & Environment Department
Fact Sheet
the Ontario Workers Health and Safety Centre (www.whsc.on.ca), and the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA);
‣ identifying and documenting health, safety and environmental impacts resulting from
workplace changes (e.g. increased injuries or illnesses from downsizing, speed-up,
12+hour shifts, mandatory overtime, job combinations, new technologies, work
restructuring, etc.) Unions may be able to formally bargain over these changes and/or
their impacts.
‣ identifying strengths and weaknesses of current health and safety training programs;
developing union priorities for type and content of training and determining who should
provide the training;and
‣ developing and undertaking strategies that involve our local union members, build the
union and make health, safety and environmental improvements.
Of course there is much more information about this issue than can fit onto a few page fact
sheet. If your Local Union needs assistance or would like additional information about
continuous bargaining or other health and safety issues there are several ways to get help.
First, the USW can provide assistance to your local union through your Staff Representative,
District Health and Safety Coordinator, District Director, and the Health, Safety and
Environment Department. Your Local Union President should contact the Staff
Representative with your concerns. You can also obtain additional information from the USW
website at www.usw.org and www.usw.ca; the AFL-CIO’s website at www.aflcio.org/safety and
the Canadian Labour Congress website. These websites have links to a number of other
useful internet websites including the websites of the organizations referenced in this fact
sheet.
This material was adapted from a fact sheet developed by the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and materials developed
by the Technology and Work Project, University of Massachusetts – Lowell. For further information, contact the
USW Health, Safety and Environment Department.