Chronic Safety Committee Contract Violation

[mercury7]

You are about to set off on a Quixotic quest-----good luck.

Wow thanks, so I should just keep my mouth shut? I was on the safety committee many years ago and didn't stay because of the nonsense. This time I don't have a choice. Any words of wisdom?

 

[Inthegame]

It says right here in my contract book that bargaining unit members on the committee are volunteers "approved" by the local union.

Our committees are chaired by stewards. Additional stewards are encouraged to be on all committees and effectively thwart attempts from management to dictate activities.

 

[Packmule]

UPS Preloader,

What do you mean you don't have a Safety Committee don't you know that the company is violating your rights by not allowing you to have a Committee? It's in the contract.

If you don't have a safety committee then how can your concerns possibly be addressed?

Sincerely,
I

I lost respect for safety committees when the company stopped addressing hourly concerns and turned members into a bunch of hall monitors and mini managers. Also, it seems like all they are concerned about is filling in the hours quota.

 

[Catatonic]

I lost respect for safety committees when the company stopped addressing hourly concerns and turned members into a bunch of hall monitors and mini managers. Also, it seems like all they are concerned about is filling in the hours quota.

It's a system and respect is irrelevant.

 

[Inthegame]

It's a system and respect is irrelevant.

Respect is never irrelevant if success is ones goal.

 

[Catatonic]

Respect is never irrelevant if success is ones goal.

Your point?

And who defines what success is?

 

[Packmule]

S

Your point?

And who defines what success is?

success is certainly not defined as keeping members so busy spying and drilling on the 5 and 10 till they're redundant, that no one has time to consider serious issues hourlys may have.

 

[Catatonic]

S

success is certainly not defined as keeping members so busy spying and drilling on the 5 and 10 till they're redundant, that no one has time to consider serious issues hourlys may have.

Not being argumentative but I asked "who", not "what".

I know that there are at least a couple hundred thousand interpretations of "what".

It would seem to be that either UPS or Union leadership would be "who" define success.

 

[Inthegame]

Your point?

And who defines what success is?

My point is as obvious as is the definition of success.

 

[Catatonic]

My point is as obvious as is the definition of success.

Clear as mud then.

I learned a long time ago that the obvious is rarely accurate.

 

[Anonymous 10]

Our committees are chaired by stewards. Additional stewards are encouraged to be on all committees and effectively thwart attempts from management to dictate activities.

We have stewards on our committees as well. It is a union committee.

 

[Anonymous 10]

Your point?

And who defines what success is?

Safety for our union members who are caught up in the ivory towers numbers game of course.

 

[Catatonic]

We have stewards on our committees as well. It is a union committee.

So, in your building's case, the Union defines the success of the safety committee?

 

[Packmule]

T

Clear as mud then.

I learned a long time ago that the obvious is rarely accurate.

the company establishes the curriculum so apparently they feel they are the only ones to define success. Right now with my injured knee from falling on the ice, I'd like to talk about winter uniform pants that have sown in pouches to facilitate some kind of knee guards. Maybe elbow ones on the shirts. We've had a huge problem with slip and fall injuries because of ice under snow.
Show me a committee that can have ideas like that realized instead of just being handed some lame excuse--and here's the 5 and 10 again, and I'll get interested again.

 

[Anonymous 10]

So, in your building's case, the Union defines the success of the safety committee?

Yes and know. Our business agents go to some of the meetings and this makes ups nervous. I think they also like it because they know nothing can be swept under the rug with them there. They are very professional. I'm proud to be affiliated with them very much. Pure workaholics like me.

 

[Catatonic]

T

the company establishes the curriculum so apparently they feel they are the only ones to define success. Right now with my injured knee from falling on the ice, I'd like to talk about winter uniform pants that have sown in pouches to facilitate some kind of knee guards. Maybe elbow ones on the shirts. We've had a huge problem with slip and fall injuries because of ice under snow.
Show me a committee that can have ideas like that realized instead of just being handed some lame excuse--and here's the 5 and 10 again, and I'll get interested again.

I never suggested you should be interested.

The sewn in knee pads thing ain't going to work or supervisors would have had them years ago.

 

[chuchu]

So, in your building's case, the Union defines the success of the safety committee?

Actually, when ideas that are suggested to management in safety meetings get implemented that enhance the safety of employees at UPS... we call that success.
Most of the time we deal with that other S word...stonewall.

 

[mercury7]

Expressing a view on here is like trying to talk the mad hatter... Isn't it?

 

[Catatonic]

Actually, when ideas that are suggested to management in safety meetings get implemented that enhance the safety of employees at UPS... we call that success.
Most of the time we deal with that other S word...stonewall.

I would imagine the things that get changed are things that can be done at the local level and the things that get stonewalled are more infrastructure or items that would take approval at the Corporate level.

 

[chuchu]

I would imagine the things that get changed are things that can be done at the local level and the things that get stonewalled are more infrastructure or items that would take approval at the Corporate level.

I totally agree. The things that normally get stonewalled cost more $ than flashlights and scrapers.
The other things are normally issues that need "cleaned up" and that expose shortcuts in operations that cause unsafe working conditions and that leads right back to $!