Union Approach to Health and Safety: - United Steelworkers

Activity Handout
Planning for a Continuous Bargaining Campaign to Improve Health and Safety
Purpose: To work through the process of preparing for continuous bargaining over an issue that
is negatively impacting your members, their health and safety and the union (this could be a
particular hazard, a new technology, a change in work organization/work restructuring, a new or
changed management policy or program, or other issue).
Task: For the purposes of this activity, your small group is the union health and safety committee
in a workplace dealing with this situation. Given the workplace issue or change your group is
working on, answer the following questions as a group. Select a reporter to present your responses
to the large group.
1. The workplace issue/change you are working on is:
2. What are some key impacts of this issue/change on the members and their health and
safety?
3. What are some key impacts of this issue/change on the union?
4. Proposals/Demands:
a. What do you want management to do regarding this issue/change, and therefore,
what should the union’s specific demands be?
b. What would management say if you asked them to comply with these union
demands?
STOP HERE