{"id":207,"date":"2020-07-21T13:21:10","date_gmt":"2020-07-21T13:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ufcw.test.vmgdev.com\/?post_type=issues&#038;p=207"},"modified":"2026-08-21T14:19:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T18:19:56","slug":"keeping-workers-safe","status":"publish","type":"issues","link":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/better\/keeping-workers-safe\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Workplaces Safer"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"heading\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">We hold employers accountable for safer workplaces.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maintaining a safe workplace is an ongoing process and everyone is responsible for doing their part. Our staff, stewards, and safety monitors work every day to ensure companies rigorously follow safety programs to the letter of the law, regulation, and our contracts, even as we fight in Washington, D.C., and in state capitals for stronger safety rules. Safety programs and rules are only as good as their enforcement by government agencies like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"heading\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Safe jobs save lives.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The UFCW drafts contracts that include strong, enforceable safety language that goes beyond what&#8217;s required by law and regulations to protect hard-working UFCW members. We work together through training, enforcement, and contract negotiations to bring real expertise and collective power to compel companies to ensure every member&#8217;s safety. We also encourage our members to speak out and report any unsafe conditions they encounter. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"embed\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Willie Besinger (Local 2008)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/h0vTAMJwg-Q?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"heading\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">We are strengthening legislation to make <em>all <\/em>workplaces safer.<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Opposing increased line speeds in poultry, swine, and beef processing plants<\/strong><br>Meat and poultry processing workers are highly trained professionals who serve as an extra layer of protection for consumers when it comes to food safety. Even at current line speeds, these workers face risks that can lead to severe injury, illness, and even death. Increasing line speeds in meat and poultry processing plants is dangerous to workers and consumers alike. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/press-releases\/ufcw-members-and-the-public-submit-42000-comments-on-usdas-line-speed-rules-as-60-day-period-ends\/\">UFCW opposes the United States Department of Agriculture\u2019s loosening of line-speed regulations<\/a> and supports requiring a worker safety impact analysis for any future decisions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Securing retail spaces<\/strong><br>As one of the few remaining public spaces that everyone frequents, grocery stores have become a growing target for politically motivated and other forms of violence. While no single solution has proven effective at insulating retailers from violence, there are ways to prepare and protect workers. The government can and should require a variety of protective measures, including minimum staffing ratios, panic buttons, and federal safety grants.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Protecting America&#8217;s workers by increasing oversight<\/strong><br>The <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/119th-congress\/house-bill\/3036\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Protecting America&#8217;s Workers Act<\/a><\/strong> would increase OSHA penalties for violators. It would also require the U.S. Department of Labor to investigate all workplace fatalities and severe injuries and require the investigators to meet with victims&#8217; families.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Advocating for minimum staffing ratios<\/strong><br>Understaffing \u2014 employing too few workers to do the work \u2014 is a major problem across the nation. In healthcare it drives down the quality of care and pushes many people away from the healthcare profession. The UFCW supports healthcare worker staffing ratios and overtime protections to ensure hospitals and nursing homes have adequate staffing to provide the best care and safety for workers. We also support minimum staffing ratios in retail stores, where understaffing leaves workers more vulnerable to workplace violence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Calling for workplace excessive heat prevention standards<\/strong><br>The UFCW&#8217;s 194,000 members who work in meat and poultry processing plants and food manufacturing facilities are often in hot and humid conditions while wearing stifling personal protective gear. They&#8217;re also exposed to noxious chemicals, which become more dangerous in hot, humid environments. A federal standard for excessive heat prevention and response, indoors and outdoors, is needed to keep our workers safe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Supporting chemical worker safety training grants<\/strong><br>The <a href=\"https:\/\/hsed.icwuc.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">International Chemical Workers Union Council&#8217;s Center for Worker Health and Safety Education<\/a> has built a nationally recognized hazardous materials training program that is a critical part of our national emergency disaster preparedness system and should continue to be funded.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Supporting laws to ban child labor<\/strong><br>The<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/119th-congress\/senate-bill\/920\/text\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Preventing Child Labor Exploitation in Federal Contracting Act<\/a><\/strong> is bipartisan legislation that would bar companies from receiving federal contracts if they&#8217;ve been found to have committed child labor law violations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Unchecked automation can harm workers and consumers. Here\u2019s what unions do to protect people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":385,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":4,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-207","issues","type-issues","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Making Workplaces Safer Workplace Health and Safety | Occupational Safety &amp; OSHA - The United Food &amp; Commercial Workers International Union<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The UFCW team ensures that our union contracts have the right language to ensure your occupational health and safety at work. 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