USW@Work - National College Players Association - United ...

Speaking OutUSW active and retired members and their families are invited to“speak out” on these pages. Letters should be short and to the point. We reserve theright to edit for length. Mail to USW@Work, Five Gateway Center, Pittsburgh PA15222 or e-mail to editor@usw.org.Compassion and professionalismI would like to take this opportunity tosay how impressed the members of Local4370 in Point Comfort, Texas are with tworepresentatives of the USW Health, Safety,and Environmental Department.On Jan. 2, the worst thing that couldhappen in a workplace — a fatality —became a reality for us. Brother JohnDorton, 37, an electrician/instrument technicianand USW member, lost his life in anindustrial accident.Staff Representative Jerry Storms guidedus to the USW Emergency ResponseTeam Hotline (866-562-3480). Within 20minutes, I was contacted by Duronda Popeand Steve Sallman from the Health, Safety,and Environmental Department. In trueSteelworker form they arrived on the scenewithin hours.Brother Sallman dove right into theinvestigation with Mine Safety and HealthAdministration (MSHA) representativesand our local union investigators. Hisknowledge and professionalism providedBrother Dorton with representation anddignity in death, as he had in life.Sister Pope, with her soft-spoken compassion,provided our deceased brother'sfamily with the right information to allowthem to begin healing.On our darkest day, the USW providedBrother Dorton, his family, and the 430members of Local 4370 the compassionand professionalism needed for us to moveon with our work and lives.Clay Maxwell, PresidentUSW Local 4370, Point Comfort, TexasSafety firstIn the fall issue of USW@Work, Inoticed a few things that should have beencorrected. We are always preaching safetyfirst. Let's practice what we preach.Page 12 shows Ms. Jendrejeski pullinga test in front of a furnace and a gapinghole that she could quite easily fall into.Her aluminized coat isn't fully closed invitingthe possibility of her being burned bymolten steel.Also observed on page 35 was thesecond-place winner of the photo contest,"The Inspector." The employee picturedis climbing or simulating the climbingof a barrel ladder with something in hishands. Anyone climbing a ladder shouldnot be holding material or equipment.We need to show a good example whenwe say safety first. Many of our fellowworkers are injured or killed just trying toearn a living for their families. Thank youfor allowing me to express my views.Edward H. Breach, Safety CoordinatorUSW Local 1688, Steelton, Pa.Steelworker Toys for TotsI am writing about a great bunch ofunion brothers and sisters — Local 4889-3from Morrisville, Pa.Wanting to do something for the localU.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Totsdrive, we set a goal of 50 gifts. Well, witha strong sense of Steelworker pride, weraised over 150 plus bicycles and scooters.I am very proud of this group.Chris Chapman, Unit PresidentUSW Local 4889-3, Morrisville, Pa.We made a differenceCongratulations brothers and sisters onthe results of the November election! TheRapid Response program and all of thehard work of its teams helped turn thetable on the corporate government that istearing apart working families. The labormovement worked tirelessly to help electthese candidates. We need to turn up theheat once again and pressure them to supportlegislation that supports us! This electionshowed that if labor works togetherwe can accomplish amazing things.Dan PetersonUSW Local 10-86, West Point, Pa.State of health careMy husband is a member of USWLocal 1343 District 2. I read each issue ofUSW@Work from cover to cover as theunion and the magazine speak on issuesthat are important to my family and me.One of those extremely important issuesis health care. The state of health care inour nation is of extreme concern to usbecause I am afflicted with the horribledisease of Rheumatoid Arthritis andOsteoarthritis.My husband and I were outraged afterreading the article entitled MedicalTourism (Vol. 1/5 Fall Issue). It is outrageousthat the health of workers hasbecome a commodity to be outsourced tosome third world country that may nothave the proper technology or equipmentto provide proper health care to its owncitizens.Elizabeth S. BallCudahy, Wis.Goodyear strikers fought for allLet's not forget the workers atGoodyear. They walked to protect the dignityof retirees everywhere. This fight wasabout protecting our retirees.For those of you who still have benefits,remember you are just one contract awayfrom the company trying to take your benefitsaway. Only our union stands there tofight for us.We are all under attack by CorporateAmerica.Steve SkvaraValparaiso, Ind.Time for a changeHurray for the United Steelworkersstrike against 16 Goodyear plants in theUnited States and Canada. Perhaps this isthe beginning of needed change.I am a middle-aged office worker inPennsylvania, who has been laid off fromgood jobs twice in the past five years.Now I have a "crap job." I have to live offsavings just to exist. I wish office workerscould be unionized.It's long past time that something wasdone to change the plight of the Americanworker. I wish we could see a meaningfulincrease in all union activities.Janis SimonsBoyertown, Pa.USW@Work • winter 2007 3