020304 UFCW Workers Push OSHA to Act

Washington - One year ago, American workers finally had the workplace protection of an ergonomics standard. It was in place only a matter of weeks before the Republican leadership in Congress and the Bush Administration trashed the standard, betraying ten years of scientific research, bipartisan cooperation, and American workers suffering on production lines every day.

“Since the political assassination of the ergonomic standard, more than a million workers have suffered needless ergonomic injuries,” said UFCW International President Doug Dority. “I promised that the UFCW would not wait for another standard and that we would begin immediately to organize and mobilize workers to file complaints with OSHA in cases where ergonomic hazards are crippling and injuring workers.”

The UFCW filed a complaint with OSHA-forcing the agency to take action to protect workers from preventable workplace injuries. The complaint focuses on ergonomics injuries to workers at a Pilgrim's Pride poultry plant in Lufkin, Texas.

“Workers with repetitive stress injuries at Pilgrim's Pride Lufkin plant are given aspirin and ice and sent back to the production line,” said UFCW International Vice President John Rodriguez. “The surgeries we know about are at epidemic proportions as a result of conditions we haven't seen for 20 years.

“The majority of workers at the Lufkin plant, like most poultry plants, are new immigrants and minority workers. Companies exploit their fear and lack of information about workplace rights to silence their complaints and feed their own profits. Injuries go unreported and hazards go uncorrected. Well, the UFCW is breaking down that wall of silence at the Lufkin plant,” stated Rodriguez.

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