Public Employee Press

Union spotlights workplace safety

Union advocates lent their voices in support of the Workplace Injury Disclosure Accountability bill (A. 9692/S.6480) Dec. 4 at a hearing held by the City Council’s Civil Service and Labor Committee. The United Federation of Teachers, the Professional Staff Congress, the Public Employees Federation, and other unions joined DC 37 representatives in testifying for the new legislation.

The bill would plug the loopholes that became evident with the publication of the city’s first annual report on workplace injuries and illnesses. Its 500 pages of data and documents lack an index and omit essential information such as job titles, reducing its usefulness. Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed the bill mandating the report in 2004, in an effort to make data available to assist the effort to put accident prevention programs in place and to reduce the city’s huge Workers’ Compensation costs.

Lee Clarke, director of DC 37’s Safety and Health Dept., spoke on behalf of Executive Director Lillian Roberts: “City workers suffer both physical and psychological trauma as victims of workplace violence. When workers request protection orreport these incidents, the agencies deny the hazards exist, refuse to comply with their requests for protective measures, and accuse them of mishandling the situation.”

Clarke pointed out the lack of statistics on the number of assaults is a major obstacle to addressing these problems.

Treasurer Thomas Kattou of Laborers, Highway Repairers, and Watershed Maintainers Local 376 spoke on behalf of the members who repair roads in all types of weather and are often the victims of road rage. “Our members have experienced verbal harassment, have had debris thrown at them, and, at times, have had drivers speed through marked work zones, coming dangerously close to hitting them,” he said.