:: rawblogXport ::

:: Wednesday, October 06, 2004 ::

Steelworkers accuse company of training hazards By JOSH STOCKINGER, Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH
"U.S. Steel’s training plan is somewhat invisible," said Russ Saltsgaver, president of United Steelworkers of America Local 1899, based in Granite City. "They don’t have one."

Saltsgaver said U.S. Steel is endangering the lives of some 1,700 of his union’s members by having a varied interpretation of a contract negotiated in 2003. He said the contract gives senior workers specific rights that would allow them to work in areas where they have the most experience during hours that might be more healthy for some older workers.

But he said U.S. Steel, in fact, has denied those workers their basic rights by slashing the number of job classifications from 34 to six in just over a year. Now, even senior workers are being forced to learn up to 15 jobs, regardless of their experience, without proper training, he said.

"We’ve got people that are being assigned to do work that they are not trained for, and that creates accidents in our mills," he said.

posted 6:57 AM :: reference link :: 0 comments ::

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