Free Is Not Necessarily A Bargain

It was reported to me recently that somewhere in the beautiful East Peoria plant, gas cards worth $25 were “awarded” to workers who didn’t have a trip to First-Aid for a specific period of time. Similarly it was reported earlier this year, Carbon Monoxide monitors were sent to the homes of workers who did not have a work-related injury for a year. I’m sure you’ve heard it said that there’s no such thing as a free lunch and that also applies to these “gifts”.

Why would Caterpillar (who shoved a substandard new-hire wage scale down our throats and is forcing us and the retirees to pay for our benefits) now be interested in giving away thousands of dollars-worth of goodies? What is in it for them? The sad truth is this is not an incentive to work more safely; it is an incentive for you not to report injuries. If management really wanted you to have a safe workplace, they would reward you for turning in hazards so they could correct them, not reward you for staying away from First-Aid.

How many people do you know right now who have not reported a workplace injury? Why? Do they fear discipline, blame storming investigations, Nuevo Laredo-type meetings, job reassignment or the loss of their vehicle operator’s license? Discipline you ask? Yes it’s true. Management claims that they have to discipline workers because of OSHA requirements. That’s only part of the story.

The real reason they discipline is that in almost every instance when they are fined by OSHA, Caterpillar claims “employee misconduct” as the cause. Caterpillar claims an “affirmative defense” when they claim to have work or safety procedures, proof of training on those procedures and a record of disciplining people for failure to follow the procedures. That’s why CAT keeps records. Every time you take some sort of training, you are required to sign a sheet or put in your password. Every procedure is available in the event CAT needs it to defend itself against your wanton misconduct. They are happy to avoid their legal responsibility to provide you a safe workplace by blaming you.

Please understand that we do have to follow Safe Job procedures, LOTO or ZMS procedures, Permit-Required Confined Space procedures and Fall Protection procedures for our own protection, but never forget that Caterpillar is responsible for our safety every minute we’re at work. We have to make sure we report hazards to our supervisors. If your problem is not addressed in what you feel is a timely manner, ask to see your UAW Safety Representative and file a complaint. (FYI, there is no “repetitive” language in 8.3, the Safety Complaint Procedure). The contractual Safety Complaint Procedure is the best way to document hazards and get them corrected.

Safety Complaints are also one way we can, if necessary, prove to OSHA that Caterpillar was made aware of workplace hazards and did nothing—I like to refer to it as employer misconduct. Your UAW Safety Representative can help get your problems resolved and resolved quickly. Your UAW Safety Representatives were appointed by the union to help and represent you; the people selected by the company were not selected for those reasons. One Safety Representative on third shift in Mossville was able to correct a longstanding problem after being called to represent a worker. That person had been complaining to their supervisor for months, but when they finally called for their UAW Safety Rep and filed a written complaint, the problem was addressed. The worker said, “If I had known that was all it would take, I’d have done it a long time ago”.

We can learn from Caterpillar. Everything we do at work is documented and we need to do the same. Report all injuries—do not allow yourself to be bought for mere trinkets or a tank of gas! When you have a problem on the job or there is something you feel will injure you or make you sick, report it to your supervisor, that’s what they’re there for. If the supervisor fails to address your problem, call for your UAW Safety Representative, that’s what they’re there for.

In Solidarity,

Steve Mitchell