Training - Priceless
  Union workers save the day on the Hudson
 
    If you could call a crash successful, US Airway’s Flight 1549’s crash into the Hudson River in New York City would be one. And guess what? The reason for minimal injuries and NO DEATHS wasn’t “lady luck“, it was training.

    From the pilots to the flight crews, the ferry boat captains & crews, the Fire Department, Police and EMS, training paid off for 155 souls on Thursday, January 15, 2009.  Actual, repeated “hands on” and “dry run” training prevented the need for 155 funerals on that day. The proper placement of safety information and signage for the passengers proved to be priceless. Training many times over and over for this “once in a lifetime” occurrence, that many will never experience, priceless.

    Also, on Saturday morning, January 10, 2009, the crew of a United Express flight, en route to Washington's Dulles International Airport, hand-cranked the landing gears and flaps in preparation for an emergency landing when they lost all hydraulics after taking off from Charleston, West Virginia’s Yeager Airport and landed safely back at Yeager Airport. Training - priceless.

    All employers could learn a lot from these incidents. Actual training, not just 5 minute safety talks in the break rooms or the re-run of old worn out videos, will reduce injuries and prevent deaths. Evacuations, sheltering, fire extinguisher usage, emergency shutdown of equipment, rescue equipment usage, Lock Out-Tag Out, rescue procedures, incident command procedures, alarm testing, job safety procedures, etc. can and should be practiced on a regular basis. PRICELESS

    The pilots, the flight crew, the air traffic controllers, the ferry boat captains and crew and rescue personnel were all union members who received extensive safety and job training thanks to their union contracts.

   Sullenberger, the pilot that made the safe landing, served as instructor and safety committee chairman for the Air Line Pilots Association union.
 

Union Safety Representation
   Too many people are not getting Union Representation when they are injured on the job.  Even if you are not injured it is wise to call for a Union Safety Rep. when you are involved in any significant incident, no matter how small of an incident  There have been cases where employees have been given discipline and later find out that they were not to blame and still could not get their records completely cleared of the discipline.  This can come back to haunt you at a later time.  By law, you have the right to have Union Representation when the Company wants to talk to you about your job.  The Company is not required by law to inform you of your rights under the Weingarten Act, you have to ask representation yourself.

  During the summer of 2007, an employee was going to get discipline for crashing a crane, no one was hurt. An investigation by Union Safety revealed that other crane operators had "close calls" with the same crane and equipment on the crane had been disabled which management knew about.  When the Union advised the Area Manager of the findings the Manager tore up the paper work and threw it in the trash and it was never placed in the employee's records.  Also the crane was repaired.    Remember to always ask for Union representation.
 
Workers Compensation Rules Change
   There is a very drastic change in the law concerning notifying the company of an employees intent to file a workers comp claim. "you must provide the company with written notice within two working days".  Under the new workers compensation laws it is extremely important that everyone report their injuries immediately to the medical department and file a workers comp claim no matter how minor the injuries are. If you don't report your injury within two days the company will be able to protest the claim. You never know at the time of  the initial injury how it may affect you later on and then it would  be too late to file.

   Remember,  you must choose a treating physician out of the workers CompNet directory.  If you don't follow these guidelines, it could result in you paying your own medical bills.  If you have any questions please call the Union Hall at 304-273-9319.  Darrell Fixx is the company contact for workers compensation at Alcan.  Kellie Faber is the company workers compensation contact at Century Aluminum.
 
Doc First Referral Forms - Consult Forms From Your Primary Care Physician
    We would like to make sure that you understand the referral system. YOU MUST HAVE YOUR REFERRALS SIGNED AND DATED PRIOR TO YOUR APPOINTMENT WITH A SPECIALIST.  These referral forms must be sent in to DOC First.

    IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE THIS IS DONE.  If your Physician states that they will send the form in, do not take this for granted.  If you personally mail the form in, do not take it for granted that it reached DOC First.

   CONTACT DOC FIRST PRIOR TO YOUR APPOINTMENT to make sure that your referral is on file and ask them when your referral will expire so that you will know when you need another one.

   YOU MUST MAKE SURE THAT YOU FOLLOW THIS PROCEDURE.  The Company has again changed their practice with referrals.  Although the Union does not agree with this, we urge you to follow these instructions in order to make sure that our members receive the highest benefit level.

    DOC FIRST CUSTOMER SERVICE IS: 1-800-360-4817.    You may also contact the benefits department at ALCAN (304) 273-6238 and ask them to check this for you.
 
Century Aluminum Enrollment Form
  The documents mailed to your home by the company about benefits, Century Aluminum Enrollment Form, you can be required to keep your records updated, the section at the top of the page that says "Please Enroll Me and My dependents in the following Plans: We have talked to the company, you should leave this section blank, being employed here in the hourly workforce automatically enrolls you in all benefit plans.  Copy of tax return, Black out any information that is not pertinent to proving who your dependents are.

  The letter the company sent you dated 11/27/06 concerning Network Benefits, you are not now as you were not prior to 2006 negotiations part of a network, PPO or otherwise for any of your benefits. We are currently working on a letter with the company to clarify this.  The company can request information to keep your dependents current so they can pay benefits correctly.
 
Eli Morris
 

Recent Safety & Health Training
January 30, 2006
   Five USW Local 5668 Safety Reps attended six hours training, held at the Learning Center, on "Incident Investigation".  Attending the classes were Mark Lynch, John Wright, Rod Matheny, Jim Hammond and Wayne Shockey.  The Instructor was Sally Schneider, ARP's training coordinator.

December 17, 2004
   Don Faulkner and Steve Sallman, USW International Safety Reps, conducted an 8-hour training session at the Union Hall. The training consisted of hazards on the job, goals, attitudes, behavior based safety (why we so strongly should oppose), accident investigation, and the importance of functioning safety and health committees.

   Approximately 20 Safety & Health Reps. from Local 5668 (Century, and PRP) and 4 Union Reps. from Fenton Glass plant, Local 22T and 508T, were present for this training. The participants from Fenton were 2 Presidents and 2 Safety Reps.

May 26, 2004
   Local 5668 sent four Safety & Health Reps. to a 32 hour Haz-Mat training at ICWUC Center for Worker Health & Safety Education in Cincinnati, OH. They were Mark Lynch, Don Stamper, Philip Stewart from PRP and Jimmy Higgins from Century Aluminum.

   The training was a rigorous and broad introduction regarding key health and safety matters related to hazardous chemicals, which included significant periods of both classroom and hands-on training to help develop a variety of skills necessary to the protection of these workers.  The curriculum included: Toxic America, Hazardous Material Labeling Systems, Hazard Recognition, Respirators, Chemical Protective Clothing, Personal Protective, Toxicology, Decontamination & Site Control, Hazard Control, Medical Surveillance, Emergency Response & Handling Hazardous Waste, Monitoring and Legal Rights & Remedies.  The hands-on exercises made use of SCBA's, air purifying respirators and full-body chemical protective suits.

   We have received appropriation form the International for three more Scholarships for Haz-Ma training to be done at UWS's Linden Hall near Pittsburgh, PA during the month of August and are also in the process of possibly getting appropriations for four more Scholarships.
 

Employees Receive Radiation Report
   Recently employees that work on the radioactive equipment on our rolling mills received a report stating the dose of radiation that they had received in the past year. This raised a great concern, as this was the first report that the employees had ever received.

     Federal regulations require that your employer is to advise you of your dose annually if you are exposed to radiation for which monitoring was required by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

     If you have any questions or concerns about the report or working around radiation contact USWA Local 5668 Safety Chairman Ryan Corriveau at 273-9319 or Pechiney Rolled Product Radiation Safety Officer Jeff Brooks at ext. 6972.

     The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission web site can be found at http://www.nrc.gov. Look for the Electronic Reading Room > Document Collections > NRC Regulations (10 CFR) to read more about the federal regulations.
 


 

USWA
District 8

Local 5668
 RR 1 Box 96K
 Ravenswood WV 26164
 304-273-9319
 local5668@charterinternet.com   


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