Safety Matters/Health, Safety & Environment Conference Draws Record Attendance

摘要

Some 1,500 members and leaders attended the United Steelworkers 2007 Health, Safety & Environment Conference this summer in Dearborn, Mich. It was the largest group ever to attend a USW safety conference. The conference focused on strategies for preventing workplace fatalities and injuries and on the union's role as the labor movement's leading environmental advocate. It included three days of union presentations and educational workshops, with two days devoted to joint labor-management activities. In a rousing keynote speech, International President Leo W. Gerard presented a stinging critique of irresponsible corporations turning a blind eye to both worker safety and environmental responsibility. He derided the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for making it too easy to negotiate fines and penalties down to a pittance.