CANADIAN LABOUR SUDBURY:

VALE'S ANTI-UNION MOVES PROVE FATAL FOR WORKERS:

The end of the 2009-10 strike at Vale in Sudbury and Port Colburgh left company management emboldened. From their point of view they had beaten the union, USW Local 6500, and could do whatever they wanted. This included refusing to rehire 9 workers who had been fired for union activity during the strike despite an Ontario Labour Relations Board that the company's actions were "patently unreasonable". More ominously Vale has persisted in unsafe working conditions that have killed 4 workers since the end of the strike. Here's the story from the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions. The story contains links to a summary and full report of a health and safety audit carried out by the union itself- the company refused to collaborate in such an audit.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Safety, Union Busting Haunts Vale inside Sudbury, Canada, Mines

If anyone needs further proof to Vale’s global social neglect, it comes in a pair of dirty deeds committed by the Brazilian mining company in and after the bitter 2009-10 strike at a major nickel and copper operation in Sudbury, Ontario.

One involves circumstances surrounding two deaths inside Vale’s Frood-Stobie Mine on 8 June 2011 and the other is added legal proof that Vale’s strong-arm tactics in firing union activists during the United Steelworkers (USW) strike was meant to hinder legal collective bargaining.

An extensive report issued 29 February by the USW over the June 2011 deaths of Jordan Fram, 26, an equipment operator, and Jason Chenier, 35, a supervisor, was done because Vale refused the offer of the USW to investigate the accident jointly. USW blames negligent water drainage maintenance directly tied to lax and “little experience or training” of front-line supervisors.

Fram and Chenier were buried 900 metres underground by an overflow of muck, a term for an avalanche of wet rock, gravel, sand, water washing down a mine shaft. Even though USW Local 6500 is the legitimate bargaining representative, the report notes, “Vale officials refused to be interviewed by members of the USW team” even though union members “cooperated fully in management’s investigation.”

The Executive Summary and the full 207-page USW Report are here.

The week before USW issued the report, the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) ruled that Vale violated provincial labour law by maintaining a “patently unreasonable” stance over nine workers Vale fired for strike activity. The OLRB agreed with the USW that the nine trade unionists were denied rights to third-party arbitration by the company, and further cited Vale for “troubling” labour relations conduct across several areas.

In January, the OLRB cited Vale with union interference for denying entry onto company property for one of the nine discharged workers is the elected head of Local 6500’s Grievance Committee. The USW is now confident that arbitrated decisions will prevail and the nine workers will return to their rightful jobs.

The USW District Director for Ontario and the Atlantic Region, Wayne Fraser, said the OLRB’s 24 February ruling “should give Vale pause to consider the hardship inflicted on families,” adding that the unlawful conduct “prolonged the suffering and uncertainty for families in our community.”Vale’s safety record in Canada was tarnished again on 29 January 2012 when 47-year-old Stephen Perry, an explosives worker, was crushed to death when a rock face collapsed on him while he was working in a lift basket. This death occurred 1,300 metres inside Vale’s Coleman nickel mine near Sudbury.

A fourth Canadian Vale death in 2011 occurred on 19 October when 51-year-old scooptram operator Greg Leason was killed when his machine fell 40 metres into a cavern inside the T-3 Mine in Thompson, Manitoba.

Historically, the four 2011 deaths at Vale in Canada are atypical because the USW is a vigilant proponent of joint labour-management process safety procedures that prevent workplace accidents. But with Vale’s hostile labour relations still simmering some 20 months after the strike, no cooperation with the union over health and safety issues is proving detrimental to workplace safety

AMERICAN LABOUR CALIFORNIA:

HAVE A HEART: SUPPORT THE UFW IN CALLING FOR A BAN ON METHYL IODIDE;


This Valentine's Day give a gift to farm workers and rural residents in California and ask that the toxic fungicide be banned in the state of California. Here's the article from the United Farm Workers (UFW).

◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘
CA appoints new director of pesticide regulations
Urge Gov. Brown and Dir. Leahy to take action on methyl iodide now
BREAKING NEWS: Governor Brown has just appointed Brian Leahy as the new Director of California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR). California is now poised to reverse the decision to permit the use of the cancer-causing pesticide, methyl iodide.

For over a year, Gov. Brown has not taken action on methyl iodide, saying that the decision must rest with the incoming head of DPR. That person, Brian Leahy, is now in place. Please join us in calling for immediate action on methyl iodide.

More than 85% of the country’s strawberries are grown in California so actions here will have national implications. It may give the EPA a new opportunity to re-evaluate this chemical that has no safe place in agriculture.

Methyl iodide is a known carcinogen that could cause spontaneous miscarriages and contaminate groundwater. Injecting it as a gas into the soil presents unacceptable risks to farm workers, nearby rural communities, pregnant women and children. Clearly, this toxic chemical is dangerous and should be banned.

The UFW is joining with a coalition of environmental groups to send a petition to Director Leahy telling him to prioritize banning of methyl iodide. Sign the petition today!

* If possible, please add a paragraph personalizing your comment.
************************
The Letter
Please go to this link to send the following letter to Californian Governor Jerry Brown and his director of pesticide regulation.
***********************
Dear Governor Brown and Director Leahy,

I am writing to urge you to take action on methyl iodide in the new year. In March, Gov. Brown said he would take a “fresh look” at the chemical slated for use on California’s strawberry fields, and since then, the case against cancer-causing pesticide has only gotten stronger.

Scientists have said time and time again that methyl iodide causes cancer, poses extremely high risks to farmworkers and pregnant women, and has the potential to contaminate our scarce groundwater resources. And based upon recent court findings, it’s clear that the Schwarzenegger Administration ignored that body of science in its zeal to approve the chemical.

We are hopeful that Director Leahy has the right farming and government experience needed to pull methyl iodide off the market.

We trust that that you have had enough time to “look” at methyl iodide. In looking you would have seen that the chemical doesn’t belong in California – not near farmworkers, rural children or any community.

Sincerely,

CANADIAN LABOUR NEW BRUNSWICK:

STUDENT WORKER KILLED ON JOB AT WALMART:

Three days ago a grade 12 student working part time at the WalMart in Grand Falls New Brunswick was killed on the job, electrocuted while operating a floor scrubber at the store. One wonders if the store closed for even a minute out of sympathy. Here's the story from the New Brunswick Daily Gleaner.

NBNBNBNBNBNB

Victim died while working at store in Grand Falls
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

WorkSafe NB has launched an investigation into the apparent electrocution death of 17-year-old Patrick Desjardins of Drummond.

Desjardin was using a commercial floor scrubber in the garage section of the Wal-Mart store's automotive department when the incident occurred.

A defective extension cord is being examined as a possible cause.

WorkSafe NB said the garage area was damp and that the buffer machine was old.
( I guess that newer and safer equipment would lead to a price increase of 0.00001%- Molly )
"We start at the electrical panel and go all the way to the worker and look at what all the elements were and if all of them were in good condition," said Lise Malenfant, regional director, northwest region of WorkSafe NB.

Desjardins was found laying on the floor at about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.

"He was found without signs of life, but there were no clear indications on his body as to the cause of death," Malenfant said.

Burn marks from electrocution occur where there is high voltage, but WorkSafe NB will study the results of the autopsy when it arrives.

Desjardins was transported to the Grand Falls General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy has been scheduled for this morning in Saint John. Grand Falls Town Police and a WorkSafe NB inspector are investigating.

Public expressions of condolence have come from school District 14 where Desjardins was a Grade 12 student at John Caldwell School in Grand Falls.

"Patrick Desjardins will be greatly missed by everyone. He was an outdoor person who loved fishing and camping with family and friends," said District 14 Supt. Lisa Gallagher.

"His friends described him as a generous, trustworthy, reliable, loving and kind person who would put a smile on their face," she said.

Although school doesn't resume until Jan. 11, John Caldwell School opened its doors Wednesday for staff and students who wanted to drop in to support each other.

"Support from the New Brunswick Teachers Association, School District 14, Parent School Support Committee and home and school have been present," Gallagher said.

With files from The Victoria-Star

CANADIAN LABOUR ONTARIO:

CRIMINAL CHARGES A0GAINST NEGLIGENT COMPANY FOR WORKER DEATH IN ONTARIO:

The following news item about charges of criminal negligence causing death being filed against an Ontario contractor who caused the death of a municipal worker in Sault St. Marie Ontario come from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the union that the killed person was a member of. A few things should be noted about what follows. One is the actual rarity of such charges under Canadian law. Since 2004 only 4 such cases have been filed. Is this because Canadian employers are exceptionally cautious and follow best practices ? Very doubtful. The workplace death rate in the EU is 2.5/100,000 employees. The USA tops this with a rate of 4.0/100,000. Canada, however, comes in a a whopping 6.8/100,000. The only European country that tops this is Portugal at 7.6/100,000. Canada's workplace deaths are not inevitable, nor accidental. Pretty well all developed countries (and many underdeveloped ones as well) have lower rates. The obvious conclusion...criminal negligence causing death at the workplace in Canada is far more common than the legal cases would indicate. If things happen that others can easily avoid that is "negligence" from at least Molly's definition. Anyways, here's the story.

▬↨▬↨▬↨▬↨▬↨▬↨▬↨

Private company facing criminal negligence charges following city worker fatality

A private company is facing criminal charges over an incident that caused the death of a CUPE member.

Millennium Crane Rentals Ltd., the crane operator and the crane owner each face charges of criminal negligence causing death. They are scheduled to be in court in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, November 30 and December 6.

According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, this is one of just four cases in which a company has been charged under the Criminal Code since Bill C-45 (criminal liability of organizations) became law in 2004.

The bill sets out rules on criminal liability for organizations and their representatives. It establishes that everyone with authority to direct another person’s work has a responsibility, within reason, to prevent bodily harm to those they direct.

“We’re pleased to see the Sault Ste. Marie police and the Ministry of Labour have taken the time to thoroughly investigate the incident, and we’ll be paying close attention to this case” said CUPE National President Paul Moist.

“We’re hopeful that regardless of the outcome, employers will get the message that all levels of management bear a responsibility in making sure workers are protected on the jobsite, so that we can avoid terrible tragedies like this.”

The criminal charges stem from the April 16, 2009 death of municipal worker James Vecchio, who was crushed when a crane fell into an excavated hole he was working in at the Fifth Line Landfill.

Reports in the Sault Star suggest that the crane, which was loading concrete into the hole where Vecchio and another municipal employee were doing sewer work, was repositioning and backed up too far, falling into the hole and pinning Vecchio.

Vecchio, a 34-year old father of two, was rushed to hospital after firefighters extracted him, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital. The other worker was unharmed.

Millennium Crane Rentals, who were under contract with the city, also faces five charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act related to the condition of the crane and the qualifications of the operator. A court date for those charges is set for January 10, 2011.

CANADIAN LABOUR ALBERTA:

ALBERTA FEDERATION OF LABOUR CAMPAIGNS FOR SAFER WORKPLACES:



The Alberta Federation of Labour has announced a new plan and campaign for safer workplaces in that province.
Alberta, of course, has never been at the pinnacle of such things, but the AFL is hoping that the province can do better. Here's the story from the AFL website.

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New union campaign says Alberta can – and must – do better on workplace safety:

AFL unveils 10-point plan to stop return to boom-style carnage
Friday, 05 November 2010 Edmonton

- The Alberta Federation of Labour today releases a 10-point plan for immediate action (click here for full text of plan) to improve workplace safety in the province.

"The government has taken some steps in the right direction to improve health and safety at work, but Alberta can - and must - do better," says Gil McGowan, president of the AFL, which represents 140,000 workers. "As the economy picks up, especially in the oil patch and construction sectors, the government needs to take immediate action to improve health and safety. If simple changes aren't made today, Alberta will return to the highest number of workplace fatalities in Canada. Only last month, three workers died in workplace accidents in three days. These are the kinds of tragedies that Alberta must prevent," he says.

"The recession gave us a short reprieve. Now is our chance to lead the country, instead of consistently being the most dangerous place in Canada to be a worker," continues McGowan.

Representatives of the Ironworkers and Electrical Workers' construction unions joined McGowan for the release of the 10-point plan. The AFL also presented 2,500 signed postcards to the office of Employment Minister Thomas Lukaszuk, calling for health and safety improvements.

"Most of these ideas are not radical - they are policies that work very well in most other provinces," he says. "The minister begins a three-day Work Safe Alberta Minister's Forum on Monday. This is the perfect opportunity to adopt these simple but effective policies."

The AFL 10-point plan for occupational health and safety includes:

•More occupational health and safety (OH&S) inspectors performing more inspections.
•Empowering inspectors to issue on-site administrative fines and stop-work/stop-use orders, addressing health and safety issues before they become an injury or fatality.
•More resources for Crown Prosecutors to pursue charges.
•Reform at the WCB: ending bonuses for employees who deny claims and restoring employer premiums to reasonable levels.
•Including farm workers in health and safety and employment standards legislation
•Working-alone legislation: Alberta is in a minority of provinces without special protections for those working alone, especially at night.
•Protection for workers who blow the whistle on unsafe worksites, equipment, or practices.
•Posting employer safety records online: the government's current practice leaves out 85 per cent of injuries. Reforming this system includes posting stop-work/stop-use orders, actual injuries or deaths on a job site, and inspection reports.
•Giving Certificates of Recognition only to safe workplaces.
•Mandatory joint health and safety committees for workers and employers.
- 30 -

Media Contact:

Gil McGowan, President, Alberta Federation of Labour @ 780-218-9888 (cell)

CANADIAN POLITICS TORONTO:
NO MORE WORKPLACE DEATHS:

Following the recent deaths of two migrant agricultural workers in Ontario people are organizing to demand an end to such tragedies. Tonight there will be a public meeting in Toronto to educate and organize opposition to unsafe workplaces. Here's the info from No One Is Illegal Toronto.
WDWDWDWDWD

No More Deaths: People's Resistance to Undocumented and Precarious Work
Start: Nov/04/2010 - 6:00 pm
End: Nov/04/2010 - 8:00 pm
please participate in a Community-Labour discussion hosted by No One Is Illegal – Toronto

November 4, 2010
6:00pm – 8:00pm
OPSEU Union Hall, 31 Wellesley Street
(across from Wellesley Subway Station)

supported by: Justicia for Migrant Workers, Industrial Accident Victims Group of Ontario, OPSEU Workers of Color, Caregiver Action Centre, Labor Education Centre, Workers Action Centre, Health for All, Latin American Trade Unionist Coalition

speakers:

FRANCA IACOVETTA is Professor of History and author of “Such Hardworking People: Italian Immigrants in Postwar Toronto” that focused on the Hoggs Hollow disaster.

TZAZNA MIRANDA LEAL is an organizer with Justicia for Migrant Workers

MOHAN MISHRA is an organizer with No One Is Illegal – Toronto

also remarks by Cosmo Mannella (Director of The Labourers International Union of North America (LIUNA) Canadian Tri-Fund); Elizabeth Ha (OPSEU Workers of Colour & OFL VP Workers of Colour); Jessica Ponting (Community legal worker with Industrial Accident Victims Group of Ontario); Pura Velasco (Caregiver Action Centre); Jojo Geronimo (Executive Director, Labor Education Centre) and members of the Workers Action Centre

on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=159718884061029

============
============

On September 10, 2010 two migrant workers Ralston White and Paul Roach died after inhaling toxic fumes at Filsinger's Organic Foods appleorchard and processing facility near Owen Sound, Ontario. On December 24, 2009, Alexander Bondorev, Aleksey Blumberg, Fayzullo Fazilov, Vladimir Korostin, migrant workers without full status, fell to their deaths when the scaffolding they were working on collapsed in half. Though these deaths made the mainstream news, migrant workers and undocumented workers continue to be hurt, to get ill and to die both in Canada or upon being deported to countries they have citizenship in. This injustice must end.

50 years ago, five Italian construction workers, Pasquale Allegrezza, Giovanni Correglio, Giovanni Fusillo, and Alessandro and Guido Mantella, died while working in a dangerous tunnel near Yonge Street in Toronto, remembered as the Hoggs Hollow disaster. Knowing
that workers without full status were facing flagrant workplace violations, negligent employers and little legislative protection from occupational hazards, workers across the city rose up, and carried out a series of actions and strikes in a fight to organize the
building trades.

Today as migrant workers continue to die, labour activists and community groups must gather together, to reignite a new fight. A fight that creates far-reaching changes and challenges the very root of people's inability to access real safety – immigration status and racism.

Join community groups and labour activist to discuss and demand:

** Moratorium on deportations for all workers with WSIB claims and MOL complaints
** Access to Health and Safety without Fear
** Status for injured workers and their families
** Status for All!

Please email nooneisillegal@riseup.net to endorse.

============
============

For background

** Criminal charges not enough, more needs to be done to ensure migrant workers come home alive, say community organizations:
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/490 (Oct 19, 2010)

** Stop the killing of migrant workers, end exploitative temporary work programs: http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/483 (Sep 16, 2010)

** Hundreds mourn migrant worker deaths: http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/391 (Jan 8, 2010)

** Justice for migrant workers killed at work: http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/397 (Jan 7, 2010)

AMERICAN LABOUR CALIFORNIA:

SETTING A BAD EXAMPLE:

Down in California the Lieutenant Governor Abel Maldonado is setting a rather bad public example in regards to worker safety at his own farm. Here's the story and appeal from the United Farm Workers.

FWFWFWFWFW
Take action against serious safety violations at California's Lt. Governor's strawberry farm

Los Angeles Times, October 15, 2010
Lieutenant governor's family farm has had many safety violations

A worker at Abel Maldonado's 6,000-acre Santa Maria operation was crushed by a tractor. The firm has had numerous other Cal/OSHA citations, plus tax liens. The Republican says some citations stemmed from overzealous regulation that harms California businesses.
Click for full story


Today's Los Angeles Times reported serious workplace violations and a farm worker death at Lt. Governor Maldonado's strawberry farm. Please read the below action alert and then immediately "take action" and send a e-mail to Lt. Governor Abel Maldonado.

With as many as 16 farm worker deaths due to heat illness alone during Governor Schwarzenegger's administration, the report of a farm worker death at Maldonado's farm is of deep concern.

According to the Los Angeles Times, "the run-in with regulators was part of a pattern for Agro-Jal Farming Enterprises, the farm in Santa Maria that pays Maldonado a six-figure salary to serve as controller. Maldonado, a telegenic former state senator, is running for the seat Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed him to earlier this year.

Agro-Jal has accumulated dozens of violations from Cal/OSHA since 1990, hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax liens, and multiple citations for exposing workers to toxic pesticides and skirting clean water regulations, government records show. Four of the violations were for running tractors across the fields with no driver at the wheel and no means of steering or stopping the machines.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the lieutenant governor said in an e-mail, "that many of the violations against the farm are the product of overzealous regulators 'who put businesses out of business and dissuade new businesses from coming to California.'"

Lt. Governor Maldonado frequently serves as acting Governor. We need confidence that Lt. Governor Maldonado will be enforcing the law and ensuring the safety of farm workers laboring in California's fields--including his own.

Please e-mail Lt. Governor Maldonado today and encourage him to meet with UFW President Arturo Rodriguez so they can discuss how Lt. Governor Maldonado can support labor protections for farm workers that have real teeth in them.



http://action.ufw.org/maldonado

FWFWFWFWFW

THE LETTER:

Please go to this link to end the following letter to Lieutenant Governor Maldonado of California.

FWFWFWFWFW

Dear Lt. Governor Maldonado:

I was concerned to read today's Los Angeles times story entitled, "Lieutenant governor's family farm has had many safety violations."

In this story, you are quoted as saying, “My family never forgets that we started out as field hands.” We are writing to ask that you have an opportunity to put that memory to productive use.

It has been good politics for the Governor to allow you to take executive action when he is out of the state. Irrespective of the outcome of the November 2 election, you will have that opportunity again in the upcoming months.

While the Times reported that you assign blame for your farm’s repeated safety violations to “overzealous regulators”, our experience has been much different.

More farm workers have died from abuse at work under Governor Schwarzenegger than under any other Governor in California’s history.

We fail to see the overzealous regulators you refer to. Rather, the record points to unrepentant agricultural employers.

That record of 16 dead farm workers killed by heat, no one in jail, and fines lower than those for reckless driving indicate to us that regulations don’t work because meaningful punishment is never the consequence.

Would your farm have had a heat-illness prevention plan in place if the fine were $9,300 instead of $930?

We ask that at your earliest convenience you meet with United Farm Worker President Arturo Rodriguez. In this meeting we hope you will discuss several steps you can take as acting-Governor to honor the memory of Raul Garcia Osorno who died on your farm.

Thank you.

SPORTS:
AN EVEN DARKER SIDE OF THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES:


By now a good chunk of the planet's population has been treated to pictures of the shambles that are the athletes quarters in New Delhi which have been more of less "built" for the upcoming Commonwealth Games. You can see a montage of these "glowing jewels" in this article from the Australian Mercury. Some are quite "impressive", even outdoing some of the rat traps that Molly lived in when she was younger. No doubt, however, the living conditions of the labourers who have been exploited during the construction would make these dumps look like paradise.


That's a point that shouldn't be lost in the flurry that has developed about who is going to send their athletes to the Games and who is not, and the "megapolitics" of the Games as described in this article from The Nation. Here's an article from the Street News Service (the news service of the International Network of Street Papers) about the conditions that workers at the project and poor residents of New Delhi have had to endure in this corrupt bid for glory and profit.
CGCGCGCGCG

Commonwealth Games: Establishing national prestige at the expense of India’s poor
Street Speech (USA) 06 September 2010
Rajeev Ravisankar looks at the impact of the 2010 Commonwealth Games on India’s capital New Delhi. He uncovers the exploitation, hazardous living and working conditions and the violation of labour rights that accompany the world’s largest multi-sport events. (920 Words) - By Rajeev Ravisankar

In India's capital New Delhi, laborers continue working day and night as the city prepares to play host to athletes from 71 countries for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, which begins in early October. The event, the world's third largest multi-sport event, mainly involves countries that were colonized by the British and was initially called the British Empire Games.

The upcoming Commonwealth Games is not only an athletic competition, but a spectacle for India to project global power. Recently, the President of India's ruling Congress Party Sonia Gandhi said "The success of the Games is that of our country, not of any party or of any individual…The prestige of the nation is involved."

Suresh Kalmadi, chairman of the Commonwealth Games organizing committee, has repeatedly asserted that this will be "the best Games ever" and hopes that this will be a stepping stone to fulfilling India's future ambitions to host the Olympics. Also, he has stated his desire to establish New Delhi as a "world class city."

However, a number of problems have emerged throughout the implementation process from soaring costs and corruption to labour exploitation and other human rights abuses. The initial budget estimates put costs at $407 million, but now the official figure has jumped to $2.3 billion and independent estimates suggest the cost could be as much as $6.4 billion. Also, according to the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights, $150 million in funds allocated for marginalized communities have been illegally diverted to cover expenses related to the Games.

In order to meet deadlines, construction labourers are being overworked in 12 hour shifts, seven days a week and are paid less than the minimum wage, which ranges from $3.00 and $6.70 a day depending on hours worked and type of labor. Women are paid less than men for the same work, and reports point to the use of child labour at some sites. The workers toil in intense heat of 90-100 degrees Fahrenheit, the average in New Delhi during the summer months.

According to the Peoples Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR), an Indian human rights organization, workers are not provided safety equipment such as helmets, safety belts or even shoes. Also, their living conditions are substandard. Many are migrant workers from other states in India and have set up temporary shelters on or adjacent to construction sites. A report by the Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN) indicates the situation is not much better for workers who are provided temporary housing. "Six to eight labourers share 10 feet by 10 feet brick huts…There is no electricity, ventilation or place to cook." There are also not enough toilets for the number of workers living in these camps.

These hazardous working and living conditions have contributed to the deaths of a number of workers. At least 49 workers have died on construction sites for the Games. An Outlook magazine article published in April of this year stated that "70 deaths have taken place during construction work and due to diseases caused by the unhealthy conditions prevailing at the living quarters of the labourers.

Aside from labour rights violations, people living in urban poverty have been forced into a more desperate situation. Efforts to "beautify" Delhi have led to evictions, demolition of settlements and slum clusters, and large scale displacement affecting thousands of people. Realizing that it is not possible to remove all the slums before the games, authorities have decided to put up bamboo screens to hide remaining slums. Also, street vendors, small shopkeepers, and rickshaw pullers have lost their livelihoods due to restrictions.

So-called "beggars" or panhandlers are being targeted vigorously by authorities. New Delhi's Social Welfare Minister Mangat Ram Singhal summed up the government's intentions: "We Indians are used to beggars but Westerners are not and so we need to clean up. We'll catch them all." According to an article in Frontline magazine, the city government has established "zero-tolerance zones" and created teams to round up people who are panhandling. Officials have increased the number of mobile courts to prosecute these people.

Unfortunately, other parts of the world have experienced similar issues when preparing to host large scale events. For example, in the lead up to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, construction workers went on strike for a wage dispute. Riot police fired teargas and rubber bullets to break up a protest by security guards over low pay. In addition, thousands of people were evicted during construction for the World Cup. Many did not receive compensation or alternative residence, and those who were resettled lived in terrible conditions.

Before the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, 1.5 million people were displaced according to the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE). Closer to home, thousands of public housing units were destroyed before the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and 30,000 residents were pushed out due to gentrification.

These are just a few recent examples that show the social and human costs inflicted when cities and countries host games. Clearly, Indian government officials and private sector interests have not learned from these experiences, as they have pursued national prestige at the expense of the poor.

CANADIAN LABOUR ONTARIO:

FARM WORKER DEATHS SHOW NEED FOR CHANGES:

The recent deaths of two Jamaican migrant workers in southern Ontario highlights the need for changes in the system of migrant labour employment. Here's a press release from the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) on what happened.

FWFWFWFWFW

Migrant worker fatalities at Ontario farm under investigation
Deaths of two Jamaican seasonal workers at Ontario agriculture operation was “job-related” says Jamaican official

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Sept. 12, 2010) -

The cause of death of two Jamaican migrant agriculture workers who died Friday, September 10, at a central Ontario farm is still under investigation. The chief liaison officer in the Jamaica Liaison Service (JLS) in Toronto would only describe it as a "job-related accident".

The two men, aged 36 and 44, were working at the Filsinger's Organic Foods apple orchard and processing facility in Ayton, Ontario - about 70 kilometers south of Own Sound. Their bodies were transferred to a hospital morgue in Hanover, Ontario awaiting an autopsy.

Provincial police and the Ontario Ministry of Labour are conducting an investigation. The names of the victims have not been released.

"We are saddened by the death of these two men, and our sincere condolences go out their families," said Wayne Hanley, the National President of UFCW Canada, and the Agriculture Workers Alliance (AWA).

For more than two decades UFCW Canada has led the campaign for improved safety and workplace rights for migrant and domestic farm workers. UFCW Canada, in association with the AWA, operates ten agriculture worker support centres across Canada, including centres in Leamington, Simcoe, Virgil and Bradford, Ontario.

"The deaths of the two workers in Ayton is a tragic reminder of the dangers and risks in involved in the agriculture sector," said Hanley, the leader of Canada's largest private-sector union.

"Certainly what happened has to be investigated, but at the same time the Ministry of Labour must also take a more proactive role - with stepped up inspections and increased regulations - to reduce and prevent farm place fatalities and accidents."

Jamaican migrant agriculture workers have worked each season in Canada since 1964. This season more than 6,000 Jamaican migrants were employed on over 300 Canadian farms.


/For further information:
www.ufcw.ca
www.awa-ata.ca/

CANADIAN LABOUR BRITISH COLUMBIA:

CHARGES FINALLY LAID TWO YEARS LATER AFTER MUSHROOM FARM DEATHS:

No one can accuse the "justice" system of being in undue haste over this one. Two years after 3 workers were killed and two others injured at an industrial accident on a Langley BC mushroom farm charges against the companies involved and their officers have finally been laid. Here's a statement form the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) on the charges.

BCLBCLBCLBCL
Charges laid in deaths of mushroom farm workers
Two companies and four corporate officials face a total of 29 charges for failure to protect the safety of employees.

Vancouver (1 Sept. 2010) - Charges have finally been laid after two years in the deaths of three mushroom farm workers at a Langley, B.C. mushroom farm. Two others were seriously hurt.

The Crown says the two companies, A-1 Mushroom Substratum Ltd. and H.V. Truong Ltd., are charged as employers, while the four individuals are charged as either directors or officers of the companies or workplaces. They face a total of 29 charges.

The offenses all fall under the province’s worker safety laws and can result in fines of up to $619,721 and six months in jail. The charges allege failure to protect workers from “reasonably foreseeable health or safety hazards.”

The workers were overcome by gas in an enclosed space at the mushroom farm and composting plant on Sept. 5, 2008.

Donna Freeman of WorkSafe BC said at the time that it was one of the most complex investigations the agency had conducted, with more than 25 investigators on the file.

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Here's a larger overview of the case from the Vancouver Sun.

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29 charges laid in 2008 mushroom farm deaths
Three men were killed, two suffered brain damage at Langley facility
By Doug Ward, Vancouver Sun August 31, 2010

Relatives of three men who died and two others who were severely disabled in a gas leak two years ago on a Langley mushroom farm are pleased that charges have been laid in the case -- but said even the maximum penalty of six months against the farm operators wouldn't be enough to end the pain caused by the tragedy.

Family members thanked government for proceeding with charges under the Workers' Compensation Act and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, but during brief comments at a news conference broke down as they told of the outrage and loss they continue to endure.

Tracey Phan, a 14-year-old student at Winston Churchill Secondary, said it's heartbreaking for her and her sister to visit their father Michael Phan, who suffered irreversible brain damage and remains in hospital.

'It's hard on us. We don't know if he recognizes us or not. Or if he understands what we are trying to tell him. I would like to get justice back."

A-1 Mushroom Substratum Ltd. and H.V. Troung Ltd., along with four individual employers and supervisors, could face a range of penalties, up to a maximum fine of $619,271 for a first offence and six months in jail.

For Phan and other relatives who spoke, the maximum penalties aren't enough.

"I know that the law says that under that charge six months is the maximum. But I feel that six months is not enough because people that you love will never be given back to you. And six months sitting in that jail cell will never return any of the ones who you loved or cared about."

The charges laid Monday stem from a 20-month investigation by WorkSafeBC into what went wrong at the mushroom composting facility at 23751 16th Avenue in Langley.

"We are pleased that the charges are proceeding," said WorkSafeBC spokeswoman Donna Freeman. "This was a very serious incident in which three people lost their lives, two others were severely injured and the lives of all the family members were changed forever."

Freeman described the agency's probe as the "most complex investigation in WorkSafeBC's history."

Twenty-nine counts have been filed, including several alleging that the companies and their officials failed to ensure the health and safety of its workers and failed to remedy hazardous workplace conditions.

Freeman said the investigation report included tens of thousands of pages of documentation. She said the mushroom composting operation ceased after the accident but that the mushroom farm still operates at the same location.

The probe was delayed initially because of the presence of hazardous materials in the composting operation for seven months following the tragedy, she added.

Ut Tran, Jimmy Chan and Ham Pham died in the incident. Their colleagues, Phan and Thang Tchen, suffered irreversible brain damage after breathing in hydrogen sulphide and ammonia.

In addition to A-1 Mushroom Substratum Ltd. and H.V. Truong Ltd., Ha Qua Truong, Vy Tri Truong, Van Thi Truong and Thinh Huu Doan were charged in the information sworn in Provincial Court in Surrey.

B.C. Federation of Labour president Jim Sinclair said he hopes the charges will force other farm operations to fix unsafe conditions.

"Perhaps these charges will result in some other employers understanding that unsafe work conditions are not acceptable in B.C.," said Sinclair.

The B.C. Fed president said that inspections on farm sites need to be stiffened to stop fatal accidents before they happen.

"The problem is that people think they can get away with this," he added.

Labour Minister Murray Coell said he hopes the charges in the case will lead to an appropriate resolution, especially for the families of those who died.

"I understand how the families feel. I've met with them," Coell told reporters in Victoria.

"I think what we want to see is to make sure that due process and justice is done and that's best done through the courts," he added. "I think due process is now moving forward."

dward@vancouversun.com with files from Jonathan Fowlie
Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/charges+laid+2008+mushroom+farm+deaths/3463095/story.html#ixzz0yKXBogSh

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And here is how the BC Federation of Labour views these charges.

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Long-awaited charges positive news in mushroom farm deaths but questions remain
September 1, 2010
The BC Federation of Labour is welcoming news that charges have finally been laid against two companies and four individuals in the deaths of three workers at a mushroom farm in Langley on September 5, 2008.

"The families of the men who were killed and injured have waited a long time for news that charges have been laid," says Jim Sinclair, President of the B.C. Federation of Labour. "This is a step in the right direction and sends a message to employers that they face potential jail time if they fail to provide safe workplaces."

The owners of the mushroom farm are facing sweeping charges that include failure to provide adequate training, supervision, safety programs, identification of hazards and confined space precautions.

"We hope that justice will be done, but given the fact that three men were killed and two grievously injured, and the sweeping nature of the 29 charges laid by the Crown, we must question why criminal charges were not laid in this case," Sinclair says.

The Federation also questions the length of time it took for the WCB to complete its investigation and the laying of charges.

"It has taken two full years for charges to be laid and it is entirely possible that this case will not go to court for many more months. This is far too long in a situation where lives have been lost and other farmworkers lives could be at risk. These investigations and prosecutions need to be completed faster in order to make workplaces safer."

The Federation is also calling for the release of the WCB investigation report into the mushroom farm incident. The WCB is withholding the report until the prosecution is complete.

"The families of the men killed and injured at this mushroom farm are entitled to see the WCB report. They should not have to wait months or years to find out what happened that day," Sinclair says.

"These charges attest to the fact that too many farmworkers face unsafe working conditions every day in our province," Sinclair added. "We need a full public inquiry into working conditions in the agricultural sector to ensure that farmworkers aren't treated like second class citizens."

For more information: Evan Stewart Director of Communications (604) 430-1421.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR CHINA:

GOONS ATTACK GOLD PEAK BATTERY WORKERS:

Last March Molly mentioned a solidarity campaign for workers at Gold Peak Battery in Huizhou China. Since then things have gone from bad to worse, and the latest incident involves the company hiring violent thugs to attack the workers. This is merely one incident out of many as workers in China are increasingly unwilling to accept poorly paid and dangerous sweat shop conditions. Here's the story in the form of a letter from the Good Electronics network.

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Violence used against protesting Gold Peak Battery workers in Huizhou, China‏
Dear Reader,

Earlier this year, you showed your support for the struggle of cadmium affected Gold Peak workers in China. Hundreds of protest letters were sent to Gold Peak. In response, the company sent a lame and noncommittal message, telling us to refrain from contacting GP’s customers as “facts show that GP is a responsible employer and our staff and workers are happy to stay with”. Globalization Monitor has continued working on this case. Today, I feel compelled to inform you about the most recent developments.


Since 16 August, ex-workers of Gold Peak Batteries who are suffering from excessive levels of cadmium are once again trying to engage the company into negotiations about compensation for their health problems. So far, GP has ignored the workers’ demands. On 24 August, over a hundred workers staged a protest outside Gold Peak's factory in Huizhou. Some hours into the demonstration, the protesting workers representatives were surrounded and beaten up by a large group of thugs. A number of workers were badly injured and needed hospitalisation. Shockingly, the thugs told that they were paid 50 dollars to beat up protesting workers. Reportedly, two GP security guards assisted in bringing in the thugs. Workers concerned point a finger at GP for staging this violent incident which is strongly condemned by civil society organisations in Hong Kong and elsewhere. Gold Peak however refuses to pay for the medical expenses. The workers raised fund among themselves in order to pay for the hospital bills.

In an open letter dated 25 August 2010, 200 workers express their shock and anger.


More information can be fund on the websites of the Hong Kong based labour rights group Globalization Monitor and GoodElectronics.
Sincerely,
Pauline Overeem
Network Coordinator
GoodElectronics
International Network on Human Rights & Sustainability in Electronics

AMERICAN LABOUR:

CLEANUP WORKERS AT RISK:

Many have complained about excessive secrecy surrounding British Petroleum's cleanup efforts in the Gulf of Mexico. Besides simply restricting reportage, however, BP also calculates each and every item as to the "spin" that may result. Often decisions are made not because of efficacy or even human safety but rather because of the image they project. One of these is the decision to not issue proper safety gear to those involved in the cleanup. Here's a petition from the American Rights At Work group demanding that BP take the health of its temporary labour into consideration.

ALALALALAL
Tell BP That Worker Health Comes Before PR!

More than 100 people in the Gulf have reported identical illnesses from BP's oil spill, and that doesn't include untold numbers of workers hiding their symptoms for fear of being fired by BP.

Yet despite clear evidence that cleanup workers are sick, BP won't provide respirators. Why not? For starters, BP is afraid that news footage of people wearing this critical safety equipment will show the public just how bad the spill is.

No amount of good PR is worth the health and lives of people battling BP's oil in the Gulf Coast.

Tell BP: Don't put PR above cleanup workers' health.

Sign the petition!
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"BP should take every possible step to keep cleanup workers safe, including providing and paying for the proper respirators needed to protect workers' lungs."



Your petition will be sent to:
BP CEO Tony Hayward
cc: OSHA Director David Michaels
cc: U.S. National Incident Commander Thad Allen
cc: U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis

AMERICAN LABOUR CALIFORNIA:

HELP KEEP METHYL IODIDE OUT OF CALIFORNIA FIELDS:

The following appeal to help keep methyl iodide out of agricultural use in California comes from the United Farm Workers.

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Take Action to Keep Methyl Iodide Out of California Fields

Comment period expires in a week on June 29th

California is on the verge of approving a dangerous carcinogenic gas for use on strawberry fields and other food crops. Methyl Iodide is so toxic that scientists in labs use only small amounts and wear special protective equipment. In fact it’s so reliably carcinogenic that it’s used to induce cancer in the lab. It’s a fumigant so there is a constant threat of it drifting to farm workers and rural communities.

Yet the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) is on the verge of approving its use in the fields. They are doing this despite their Independent California Scientific Review Committee (SRC) issuing a final report (PDF), which found (PDF) that "any anticipated scenario for the agricultural…use of this agent would…have a significant adverse impact on the public health."

Last Thursday a Sacramento hearing was convened by the California Senate Food and Agriculture Committee, where members of the panel testified. Dr. John Froines of UCLA who chaired the committee, said, "This is, without question, one of the most toxic chemicals on earth." DPR does not seem to be listening to the scientists they hired.

Please help. If Methyl Iodide use is approved, this toxic poison can be released directly into California’s air. We have to stop this. The DPR is accepting public comments on its proposal through June 28. Please take the time to send an e-mail to the DPR immediately and ask them not to release this toxin into our environment.

There is little to debate about Methyl Iodide’s toxicity. It is a known neurotoxin, disrupts thyroid function, damages developing fetuses, and has caused lung tumors in laboratory animals. California already classifies it as a human carcinogen. Fumigating fields with the gas, even with the strictest regulations, would no doubt still result in unacceptable exposures to farm workers and nearby communities.

We have one last chance to stop Methyl Iodide from being used in our fields. Please submit your comment today and tell DPR that we don’t want to be exposed to this poison.

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THE LETTER:
Please go to this link to send the following letter to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.
MIMIMIMIMIMIMI

I am deeply concerned with the pending approval of Methyl Iodide for use on strawberries and other food crops in California. Methyl Iodide is a known human carcinogen, as well as a neurotoxin and disruptor of thyroid function. It can be especially damaging during fetal development, and it has no business being used as a fumigant in the open atmosphere.

I understand that the DPR has recently completed a study of the chemical. Scientists on the external panel that reviewed the DPR's findings on methyl iodide stated that agricultural use would ,"result in exposures to a large number of the public and thus would have a significant adverse impact on public health." I don’t understand how you can release this dangerous toxin into Californias’s environment, with these findings.

Even the strictest regulations on application will surely not prevent exposure of workers and nearby communities to this hazardous chemical.

Please do not go ahead with your proposed approval of methyl iodide. I ask the DPR to take responsibility and immediately withdraw the recommendation to approve its agricultural use. The public health of all Californians demands no less.

ENVIRONMENT:

EXPLOSION DEAD NOT LIKELY ONLY VICTIMS:

The 11 workers who died during the explosion that started the largest oil spill ever seen in the world are unlikely to be the only victims. Clean-up workers on the Gulf Coast are reporting an increasing number of illnesses caused by their exposure to the oil washing up on the beaches. There is now a Facebook group dedicated to pressuring for proper safety procedures for the workers involved in the cleanup. It also has a wealth of information from previous similar accidents. See 'Support Health and Safety protections for Gulf Oil Spill Clean-up'. Meanwhile here's a short article on what is happening from the US magazine 'In These Times'.

BPBPBPBPBPBPBP
Oil Spill Clean-up Workers: We’re Getting Sick From Lack of Protective Gear
By Lindsay Beyerstein

Some fishermen hired by BP to clean up spill oil say they've become ill after being exposed to oil and dispersant without proper personal protective equipment.

Several south Louisiana fishermen working on the cleanup told the LA Times that they had developed headaches, coughing, nausea, and other symptoms. The workers said they'd been working without facemasks or gloves.

BP spokesman Graham McEwen told the Times that he was not aware that any workers were getting sick.

Yesterday, 125 fishing boats working off Breton Sound in Louisiana were called off the job after workers on three separate boats reported nausea, chest pain, and other symptoms. One worker had to be evacuated by air ambulance and two others were driven to hospital, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-La.) wants the Department of Health and Human Services to set up mobile clinics for clean-up workers and send the bill to BP. Melancon outlined the proposal in a letter to Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. As Melancon explained in the May 19 letter, workers are being exposed to hazardous materials on a daily basis and many are hours away from the nearest clinic.

WORKPLACE SAFETY:

BLAMING THE WORKER:

No matter how difficult the task may seem human nature is inventive enough to accomplish the near impossible. In this case the task is to shift blame for workplace accidents from the employer to the employee. Here's an interesting article from Labor Notes about how bosses actually use "safety programs" to not only shift blame but also to divide the workforce such that demands for real improvements in work conditions will never be heard.

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Confronting Blame-the-Worker Safety Programs
In a Missouri food warehouse, 150 workers load and unload trucks, lift boxes, drive fork trucks, and move endless pallets. Each month that no one reports an injury, all workers receive prizes, such as $50 gift certificates. If someone reports an injury, no prizes are given that month.

Last year, management added a new element to this “safety incentive” program: if a worker reported an injury, not only would co-workers forgo monthly prizes but the injured worker had to wear a fluorescent orange vest for a week. The vest identified the worker as a safety problem, and alerted co-workers: he lost you your prizes.

Blame-the-worker programs like this are flourishing, and they are harmful for workplace health and safety. Why are employers implementing them?

For decades, employers have brought in work-restructuring programs such as Lean, Six Sigma, and kaizen/continuous improvement. The result has been understaffing, work overload, long hours, job combinations—and therefore increased stress, repetitive strain, and other injuries and illnesses.

Increased injury rates brought higher workers compensation premiums and meant a higher risk of OSHA inspections. Supervisors lost bonuses, and facilities faced the loss of safety awards that had helped them win investments and contracts.

But instead of rethinking their work restructuring, employers came up with a different plan: hide the injuries. Enter “behavior-based safety.”

KNOW THE ENEMY
Behavior-based safety programs and practices focus on worker behavior rather than on workplace hazards as the cause of injuries and illnesses:

• Safety incentive programs, where workers receive prizes or rewards when they don’t report work-related injuries

• Injury discipline policies, where workers are threatened with or receive discipline (including termination) when they do report injuries

• Post-injury drug testing, where workers are automatically drug-tested when they report an injury

• Workplace signs that track the number of hours or days without a lost-time or recordable injury, which encourages numbers games

• Other posters, such as those stuck to washroom mirrors stating, “You are looking at the person most responsible for your safety.”

• Programs where workers observe co-workers and record their “safe behaviors” or “unsafe acts.” This focuses attention away from hazards and reinforces the myth that injuries result from bad behavior rather than hazardous conditions.

HIDING HAZARDS
In order for there to be a workplace injury or illness, there must be a hazard. A union approach to reducing injuries and illnesses is to identify, eliminate, reduce, and prevent hazards.

A behavior-based approach, on the other hand, drives both injury reporting and hazard reporting underground. When a job injury or illness is reported, the hazard causing it can be identified and addressed. If injuries aren’t reported, hazards go unaddressed—and injured workers may not get the care they need.

In addition, if a worker is trained to observe and identify fellow workers’ “unsafe acts,” he or she will report “you’re not lifting properly” rather than “the job needs to be redesigned.”

It’s hard enough to get hazards fixed that we know about; it’s impossible to fix hazards we don’t know about.

Many behavioral safety programs also harm solidarity. When workers lose prizes if a co-worker reports an injury, peer pressure comes into play. Observing co-workers is harmful even if no discipline is attached to recorded “unsafe acts.”

Employers tout low injury rates as an indicator of safety, when the reality can be disastrously different. One employer with a safety incentive program and an injury discipline policy won an award from the Massachusetts Safety Council for having zero recordable injuries; the next year a worker was crushed to death in a machine. Minor injuries had occurred on this machine but were never reported.

Behavioral safety programs hide injuries, but they can’t cover up fatalities. In 2005 BP was touting an OSHA injury rate many times below the national average at its Texas City facility, when an explosion there took the lives of 15 workers and injured 180.

TAKING THEM ON
The first step is educating members about these programs and building solidarity around the need to end them. Incentive programs that promise prizes for not reporting injuries are hazards in disguise.

Unions whose employers are covered by the NLRA or similar labor law should use their bargaining rights to block unilateral implementation of these programs, as health and safety is a mandatory subject of bargaining. See tinyurl.com/TroublemakersHandbook-h-s for a sample letter requesting to bargain and a sample letter requesting detailed information on the program.

Unions whose employers are covered by OSHA can use a provision in OSHA’s Recordkeeping Rule: it is an OSHA violation to discriminate against workers for exercising their right to report injuries. When workers lose prizes or receive automatic discipline for reporting injuries, this can be illegal discrimination under 29 CFR 1904.36 and Section 11(c) of the OSH Act.

One example was at Alcoa: the names of everyone who didn’t report an injury went into a hat, and periodically there was a drawing for a big screen TV. Steelworkers Local 105 filed an OSHA complaint, and OSHA made Alcoa cease and desist.

In another case, an employer called in 17 members of USW Local 880 in Massachusetts and told them they had too many injuries—one more and they were up for termination. A call to OSHA produced a call to the company informing management that this was illegal discrimination.

HOW LONG?
Unions can respond to the employer’s signs announcing how long the workplace has gone without an injury with our own signs or leaflets that track how long it takes for the employer to address a particular hazard: “It’s been 14 days since the union asked management to fix [a problem], and they still haven’t corrected it!”

Pictures of the CEO can be slipped under the mirror magnets that say, “You are looking at the person most responsible for your safety.”

Any checklist used in a behavioral observation program can be turned into its opposite: instead of recording co-workers’ “unsafe acts,” observers record only hazards: “guard missing on Machine #3,” “understaffing in the Emergency Department.”

At the food warehouse in Missouri, the members of Steelworkers Local 11-500 approved the purchase of fluorescent orange vests for every member. These vests would each bear the USW’s sticker “Fix the Hazards—Don’t Blame the Victim.” Before this solidarity action was implemented, the employer “voluntarily” discontinued its orange-vest policy.


For more information on confronting behavior-based safety programs, see the Steelworkers' site Blame the Worker H&S Programs or Hazards Magazine.

CANADIAN LABOUR-ONTARIO:

ANOTHER WORKER DEATH-WHO'S TO BLAME ?:

Last Wednesday another construction worker was killed on the job in Whitby Ontario. This is but one of the many deaths that occur in the construction industry because employers fail to provide safe workplaces. In the province of Ontario more than one worker is killed on the job every week. Here's the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) on this latest incident.

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Young worker dies on the job - another criminal investigation needed
(TORONTO) -- A twenty-six year old construction worker was killed yesterday in Whitby when a concrete retaining wall collapsed on him. The young worker is the latest of more than 400 work-related fatalities that have occurred since 2004.

“Yesterday’s death comes in the wake of the Ministry of Labour’s inspection blitz of construction companies which clearly showed employers are not taking seriously their responsibilities to ensure workplace safety,” said Sid Ryan, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour. “Too many employers are playing Russian roulette with the lives of workers.”

“This cavalier attitude has meant that three workers die on the job every two weeks in this province,” said Ryan. “This carnage has to stop.”

Ryan has written to the Central West Division Inspector of the Durham Regional Police calling on her to ensure that the current investigation into yesterday’s death includes the possibility of charges under the Canada Criminal Code. In 2004, Bill C-45 amended the Code to provide for the criminal prosecution of employers who disregard their obligations to maintain healthy and safe workplaces.

“If there is employer negligence, we want the Canada Criminal Code and the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act to be applied to the fullest extent possible—including jail terms,” said Ryan. “In the meantime, on behalf of over one million workers in Ontario, I want to express my deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the young worker killed on the job.”

On April 28, 2010—the National Day of Mourning commemorating workers whose lives have been lost or injured in the workplace—the Ontario Federation of Labour launched its workplace health and safety campaign: Kill a Worker—Go to Jail.



For More Information:
Patrick (Sid) Ryan, President
p: 416.441.2731 m: 416.209.0066 f: 416.441.0722
Toll-free: 1-800-668-9138

Vern Edwards, Health & Safety Director
p: 416-443-7662 f: 416.441.0722

AMERICAN LABOUR- KENTUCKY:
TWO MORE DEATHS IN AMERICAN MINES:

Following hard on the heels of the massive mining tragedy in West Virginia two more miners have recently died at their workplace in the state of Kentucky. Here's the story from the AFL-CIO Blog.

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Two Dead in Kentucky Mine with Record of Roof Support Problems
by Mike Hall
The bodies of two coal miners killed in a roof fall at a western Kentucky mine have been recovered and removed from the mine. The two have been identified as Justin Travis, 27, and Michael Carter, 28. The roof collapsed late Wednesday night.

The nonunion Dotki Mine, about 150 miles west of Louisville, is owned by Alliance Coal Co. According to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) records, the roof at the mine collapsed 19 times in the year before Wednesday’s incident, resulting in 13 injuries. MSHA has cited the mine 11 times this year for violations pertaining to roof support.

State inspectors also cited the mine for roof support problems, including placing roof bolts too far apart, according to the Associated Press. Roof bolts are metal rods drilled into overhead rock layers to help prevent the roof from falling.


Tony Oppegard, a former MSHA staffer and longtime mine safety lawyer in Kentucky, told Bloomberg Businessweek:

Roof falls are the No. 1 killer of coal miners. When you have a lot of roof violations, it is very troubling.

Last week, Businessweek reported Dotiki had the seventh highest number of significant and substantial safety violations—321—since January 2009, according to a list of the top 20 coal mines with high numbers of safety violations.

The New York Times reports Alliance Coal’s vice president of operations is Kenneth A. Murray, a former district manager for the Mine Safety and Health Administration in eastern Kentucky who led the investigation of a January 2006 fire that killed two men at Massey Energy Co.’s Aracoma mine in West Virginia.

Wednesday’s fatal roof collapse follows the April 5 explosion at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch Mine where 29 West Virginia coal miners were killed. On April 22, a 28-year-old coal miner died at the Pocahontas Mine in West Virginia.