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Hoffa: Workplace Safety is Still Elusive Goal for Many on the Job

On Workers' Memorial Day, it's important to remember the workplace is a dangerous place for many:

Today is Workers’ Memorial Day, a time to remember and honor our fallen brothers and sisters in the labor movement all across the globe.

But while technological advancements should be making the workplace safer, deaths and injuries on the job are still a major concern.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) reported that 4,679 workers were fatally injured on the job in 2014, up two percent from the previous year. The numbers were particularly grim for the workforce’s oldest participants, who saw fatalities rise by nine percent. The 1,621 recorded deaths for those 55 and over is the highest since the agency began tracking such numbers in 1992.

Meanwhile, a report issued last month by the DOL’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) made it clear that severe injuries while at work are also a significant problem.

Employers reported more than 10,000 severe work-related injuries in 2015, resulting in 2,644 amputations and 7,636 hospitalizations.

Among the top industries reporting severe injuries were in the food processing, warehousing and storage and general freight trucking sectors, all of which have a significant Teamster presence.

Read the full article below:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-p-hoffa/workplace-safety-is-still_b_9794064.html

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Testimonial

- Dave S

For 35 years I have been a Teamster and a Dairyworker, I was a young kid needing a job in tough economic times. I found a place to work and make a living, I learned to work together with others having varying and different backgrounds than my own.

Much has changed for me personally and professionally, I got married to my beautiful wife of almost 25 years and we have raised two amazing children, both of whom are presently studying abroad. Both of my children were recipients of Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Funding.

So much of my success I can credit to having a well paying union job. The Teamsters have been a great union for me, negotiating strong collective agreements that held good wage and benefit packages as well as the cornerstone beliefs of seniority and workers’ rights. The Teamsters gave me a good wage and a voice.

I have always been an active Teamster, and now I sit on Local 464's Executive Board.

There can be a great degree of personal feelings when the word union is mentioned, but so often I look at professional associations and realize the name may be different, but the thought is the same...strength in numbers.

As I get toward the end of my career, I look forward to the thought of receiving the Teamsters Canada Pension Plan, and I am so grateful for the belief others had before me that Teamsters deserved a good and decent retirement...thank you.

Drew


- Drew Speirs

“They have demonstrated the dedication and leadership that
our Local requires. They have always provided sound counsel, support, and frank
discussion on matters involving the members, contract negotiations and our
Local.“ 

- Bruce Tillapaugh –Shop Steward. Island Farms, Victoria