Little Rock--Tyson Foods and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are actively fighting workplace safety measures that could have prevented the tragic death of a Tyson Foods worker, said Reverend Steve Copley today.

On Friday, a U.S. District Court in Arkansas ruled that Tyson Foods Inc. must pay a $500,000 fine for "willfully" violating workplace safety regulations that led to the 2003 death of Jason Kelley, a maintenance worker at its River Valley Animal Foods plant in Texarkana. Mr. Kelley was killed by toxic fumes emitted from a machine he was repairing.

"Mr. Kelley's death is the worst possible example of what can happen when employees do not have a voice on the job and are not protected at work. If workers had a voice at that plant, if they had a union, there could have been a more rigorous safety program in place to prevent this tragic loss of life," said Rev. Copley.

Despite an identical accident in 2002, Tyson Foods did not put safety measures in place to make sure it didn't happen again. Tyson Foods workers do not have a union and its workers were not able to hold their employer accountable for failing to enforce these federally mandated worker safety protections.

"Groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that opposed the original Occupational Safety and Workplace Act and are now fighting legislation that would enable allowing more workers to choose to form a union. They're opposing workplace safety," said Rev. Copley.

The fine imposed on Tyson Foods is the maximum allowed by law.

"While the court was right to fine Tyson Foods, I believe a person's life is worth more than $500,000," said Rev. Copley. "This never should have happened."

According to several studies, union workers are more likely to have the right training and other precautions that create safer workplaces. Union workers:

• Have more training. Union workers are more likely to have access to formal, on-the-job training, making employees more skilled and adding to productivity.
• Have safer workplaces. Union workers are often better trained on health and safety rules and union workplaces are more likely to enforce Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards.
  
• Are more likely to receive workers' compensation. Union members also get their benefits faster, and return to work more quickly. When workers are injured, unions help workers through the often complicated process of filing for workers' compensation and protect workers from employer retaliation.

You can read the U.S. Department of Justice press release on the ruling here.

Tyson Foods and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are actively fighting workplace safety measures that could have prevented the tragic death of a Tyson Foods worker, said Rev. Steve Copley of Interfaith Worker Justice today.

On Friday, a U.S. District Court in Arkansas ruled that Tyson Foods Inc. must pay a $500,000 fine for "willfully" violating workplace safety regulations that led to the 2003 death of Jason Kelley, a maintenance worker at its River Valley Animal Foods plant in Texarkana. Mr. Kelley was killed by toxic fumes emitted from a machine he was repairing.

"Mr. Kelley's death is the worst possible example of what can happen when employees do not have a voice on the job and are not protected at work. If workers had a voice at that plant, if they had a union, there could have been a more rigorous safety program in place to prevent this tragic loss of life," said Rev. Copley.

Despite an identical accident in 2002, Tyson Foods did not put safety measures in place to make sure it didn't happen again. Tyson Foods workers do not have a union and its workers were not able to hold their employer accountable for failing to enforce these federally mandated worker safety protections.

"Groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that opposed the original Occupational Safety and Workplace Act and are now fighting legislation that would enable allowing more workers to choose to form a union. They're opposing workplace safety," said Rev. Copley.

The fine imposed on Tyson Foods is the maximum allowed by law.

"While the court was right to fine Tyson Foods, I believe a person's life is worth more than $500,000," said Rev. Copley. "This never should have happened."

According to several studies, union workers are more likely to have the right training and other precautions that create safer workplaces. Union workers:

• Have more training. Union workers are more likely to have access to formal, on-the-job training, making employees more skilled and adding to productivity.
  
• Have safer workplaces. Union workers are often better trained on health and safety rules and union workplaces are more likely to enforce Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards.
• Are more likely to receive workers' compensation. Union members also get their benefits faster, and return to work more quickly. When workers are injured, unions help workers through the often complicated process of filing for workers' compensation and protect workers from employer retaliation.

You can read the U.S. Department of Justice press release on the ruling here.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) role is to promote the safety and health of America's working men and women. One of the ways they do this is by holding an annual competition for grants; awarding funds to organizations to enable them to provide training and education programs on safety and health topics for workers and their employers.

OSHA is now soliciting applications for nearly $7 million in Susan Harwood Training Grants available to nonprofit organizations, including labor unions and community-based and faith-based organizations that are not an agency of a State or local government. For 2009, the program is offering 24 targeted topic areas for grants including emergency preparedness and response (including pandemic flu preparedness), ergonomics and workzone safety. Training grants will be awarded for a 24-month performance period, and applications must be submitted electronically using the http://www.grants.gov/ website no later than 4:30 pm on July 24, 2009.

« More information on the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program and how to apply is available on OSHA's website.

Can nursing home work be hazardous to your health?
SEIU's Education and Support Fund has been awarded renewable Harwood grant funds several times over the past couple of years. With this funding, SEIU produced training materials that have broad application in the workplace. A few years back, SEIU put together a training program to educate workers in healthcare facilities (specifically, nursing homes) about health and safety on the job, and learn how to prevent back injuries. View the plethora of materials created here.

SEIU.org also offers many more resources on workplace health and safety guides - check them out at www.seiu.org/a/members/safety-and-health.php

No doubt, you've likely heard about yesterday's tragic shooting incident at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, where security officer Stephen T. Johns tragically lost his life.

The event is a bitter reminder about the importance of these brave men and women who serve as the "first line of defense against a terrorist attack," and the methods that can be taken to ensure their safety while on the job. All in all, there are more than 1 million private security officers in the United States - nearly twice the number of police officers.

On this morning's Today Show, the director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Sara Bloomfield, paid tribute to Officer Johns and commended the entire security team for their bravery and heroism:

"Everything happened yesterday as we train for these things. And as I think you've reported, two of our officers did attack this assailant and none of our visitors were hurt, so we feel that this actually worked extremely well, in terms of how many lives were saved in this incident. And again, we want to commend our officers who responded so well and pay tribute to Officer Johns, who also behaved so heroically in this incident."

As members of a union, the security officers at the Holocaust Museum are especially trained to deal with situations like the one from yesterday.

In an interview with the Center for American Progress' ThinkProgress, Steve Maritas, the organizing director of the union that represents them, said the following:

"These guys are security police professionals, which is a whole different level of training compared to security guards...When they train these guys, they're trained on more of a terrorism level."

The unfortunate incident also speaks to the need for better safety on the job. According to the Washington Post, Officer Johns did not have a protective, "bullet-proof" vest that could have aided him during the incident.