Safety first, thanks to labor-management efforts Lewis County Manager Liz Swearingin sits in the driver’s seat of a county snowplow as highway worker Mickey Schneeberger, left, and CSEA Occupational Safety and Health Specialist Josh Kemp, right, look on. LOWVILLE — In a county that routinely gets nearly 17 feet of snow every winter, one can’t nickel and dime snow removal. Thanks to labor-management cooperation, safety has won out over the short-term bottom line. Lewis County leaders were considering reducing the number of operators per snowplow from two to one. While the county would save some money, county officials also knew that such a reduction could have potential life or death consequences, not only for those who drive on county roads, but for the people who clear them. And cost taxpayers more in the long run. Special challenges on county roads State highways and many county and municipal roads in New York are typically cleared by one-person plows. Lewis County’s roads present special challenges even for highly experienced Highway Department workers. In addition to snow, wind provides another huge obstacle for plow operators, said Highway Superintendent David Becker. “It doesn’t need to snow to send our plows out,” Becker said. “When the wind blows, they have to work because there’s snow on the road, so they are out there day after day after day.” The county is filled with rural roads that are often winding, hilly and narrow. Some of those roads are shared with horse-drawn buggies from an Amish community. County Manager Liz Swearingin and Becker wanted to ensure that one-person plowing would be safe. “When Dave and I first talked about this, it was a cost-saving idea, then we backed up a bit over the concerns of safety,” Swearingin said. While county officials considered hiring a consultant to study the issue, CSEA Lewis County Local and Unit President Kip Turck and Labor Relations Specialist Denise Campbell offered county managers the expertise of the union’s Occupational Safety and Health Department. “(County officials) had a concern for safety, so that’s when Denise and I suggested bringing in our expert,” Turck said. CSEA Occupational Safety and Health Specialist Josh Kemp studied the issue and worked with labor and management to reach a recommendation that would benefit everyone. Swearingin said that the union’s services were a “great resource.” Workers speak out To further study one-person plowing and find a solution, workers, management and union representatives formed a labor-management committee. “I feel we’re the best in the business,” Scott Andre, a heavy equipment operator and CSEA activist said. “The years of experience we have here; we’ve been trained to move a lot of snow.” But Andre warned that reducing the number of workers in each of the 30-ton plows would be a recipe for disaster. “It’s unsafe, period,” he said. “You need that wingman to see when you’re on the road. Within four hours “I think this should be a model for other places to go by, it worked really well for us.” time, you can be looking at three to four feet of snow. In white-out conditions, you try to do that with one man and a short 12-foot wing, and you’ll never be able to keep the roads open.” Motor Equipment Operator Adam Monnat, who was used to one-person plowing when he worked for the state, said he didn’t think it would work on county roads. “I’d never plow these roads here with one person,” he said. Committee members decided to have Swearingin experience first-hand the county’s roads and the conditions the operators face. Swearingin and other committee members rode in plow trucks through each of the county’s main plow routes, covering about 75 miles of rural roads. While Swearingin took the journey without snow or ice, she soon realized the tough conditions the workers face. “Our road conditions can be very challenging,” she said. “It was an eye-opening experience.” At a meeting after that trip, Swearingin asked Kemp for his conclusion about whether county roads could safely be cleared with one plow operation. After Kemp told her that it would be unsafe to have only one operator per plow, Swearingin decided that the county would retain two operators per plow. Labor and management were pleased with the outcome and the process of reaching it. “I always believe that you’re going to come out with a better answer when you get the people involved who are doing the work,” Swearingin said. “We executed the process and we came to a 100 percent agreement on the outcome.” “This is the first time that upper management has worked with the union to do an actual study from start to finish,” said Mickey Schneeberger, a heavy equipment operator and committee member. “I think this should be a model for other places to go by. It worked well for us.” “I’m very happy with the end result and I think it was done for safety reasons,” Becker said. “We look at saving money with everything we do, and safety is always more important. It was the safest conclusion — it’s not always about money.” “Safety is not a union or a management issue,” Swearingin said. “It is a culture and you either have it or you don’t. You never compromise on safety.” — Mark M. Kotzin 8 The Work Force December 2015
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