Page 2 - Work_Force_April_2018

Photo of the Month
PESH cites city with violations following member’s death
Photo by David Galarza
From left, Southern Region President Billy Riccaldo and Statewide Secretary Denise Berkley and Metropolitan Region activists state Taxation and Finance (New York City) Local President Jamel Harewood, Arlice Pugh, Kennedy Rogers, Beatrice Rogers, William Green, Maurice Dunaway and SUNY Downstate Local President Althea Green stand together for worker freedom during the recent Working People’s Day of Action rally at Manhattan’s Foley Square. See pages 1, 3, 4, 5 and 10-11 for more.
WATERTOWN — The State Department of Labor’s Public Employee Safety and Health (PESH) Bureau recently issued citations against the City of Watertown
for violations of safety laws that contributed to the on-the-job death of Sewage Treatment Plant Process Worker and Jefferson County Local member Gregory Eliopoulos.
Following a lengthy investigation by PESH Investigator Luke Parga
in conjunction with local law enforcement, city administration and union officials, PESH cited the city over five serious violations and two non-serious violations in relation to the incident that cost Eliopoulos
his life.
Eliopoulos, 54, of Sackets Harbor, was working the evening shift at
the sewage treatment plant on Nov. 20, 2017, adjusting a fitting on an energized high-pressure hydraulic line feeding a filter press machine, when the fitting came off the machine, fatally striking him.
CSEA Occupational Safety and Health Specialist Joshua Kemp, who investigated the incident on behalf of our union, said the serious violations included failure to provide training; failure to have an energy control plan; failure to provide energy isolation equipment; failure to verify isolation and an electrical violation.
Kemp said the violations contributed to Eliopoulos’ death, but noted that city officials have indicated
a sincere willingness to work with our union and PESH to correct them. CSEA has offered our professional safety and health resources at no cost to the city to help get these vital protections in place as quickly as possible to ensure the protection of the workers and return plant operations back to normal to serve the community.
“This was no accident because
it was preventable,” CSEA Central Region President Colleen Wheaton said. “Yet, we are encouraged that the city is committed to working with us to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”
“This is a prime example of why safety and health programs must always be a priority in the workplace,” said Kemp. “Now is not the time for any level of government to be rolling back safety regulations.”
CSEA has long advocated against safety cutbacks, yet workplace fatalities across the country are on the rise (7 percent increase in 2016). The latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that more than 14 workers are killed on the job every day.
Unfortunately, the state PESH Bureau, like OSHA, isn’t funded to
a level that allows staff to perform enough programmed inspections to keep employers in compliance with state and federal safeguards that directly save lives.
— Mark M. Kotzin
(See page 12 for more.)
ALERT
CSEA President Danny Donohue to meet with Western Region members
CSEA President Danny Donohue will visit the CSEA Western Region on Wednesday, May 16. The meetings will be held from 1 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel Corning, 125 Denison Parkway East, Corning. Please call the region office at (716) 691-6555 for an appointment and directions.
CSEA mourning the loss of U.S. Rep.
CLouise Slaughter SEA President
CSEA and steadfast advocate for working men and women in New York and across the country. She truly understood the vital role labor unions serve in strengthening our economy, and worked hand in hand with us
to improve workplace protections, increase wages for America’s working poor and middle class, and protect workers’ health and retirement benefits.
I truly admired her integrity and fierce commitment to improving
the lives of all working Americans. Congresswoman Slaughter was a champion and will be sorely missed.”
Danny Donohue
recently issued a
statement about
the loss of U.S. Rep.
Louise Slaughter,
who passed away on
March 16. Slaughter
had represented the
Rochester area in Congress for more than 30 years and was a longtime friend to working people:
“On behalf of our union, I send my deepest condolences to the family of Congresswoman Louise Slaughter.
She was a longtime friend to
May 15 is deadline for submitting proposed
rPesolutions, changes to CSEA’s Constitution & Bylaws
roposed resolutions and proposed headquarters and region offices. amendments to the CSEA Proposed resolutions and proposed
Constitution & Bylaws for consideration by CSEA delegates to the union’s 2018 Regular Delegates Meeting must be submitted by May 15, 2018.
Proposed resolutions or proposed amendments may be submitted only by a delegate and must be submitted on the proper forms which are available from the Statewide Secretary’s Office at CSEA
amendments to the Constitution & Bylaws must be submitted no later than May 15, 2018, to Statewide Secretary Denise Berkley, CSEA Headquarters, 143 Washington Ave., Albany, N.Y. 12210-2303.
The 2018 Regular Delegates Meeting will be held Oct. 29 to Nov. 2 in New York City.
2 The Work Force
April 2018
Slaughter