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On November 13, 1909, 259 coal miners were killed in a mining disaster in Cherry, IL. This catastrophic event, 100 years ago, led to improved safety regulations and the modern Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act. The Chicago Tribune ran this story on the Centennial Anniversary. More information on the disaster can be found at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library website, and on Wikipedia.
“Employers and workers routinely underreport work-related injuries and illnesses, calling into question the accuracy of nationwide data [compiled annually by OSHA].”– Steven Greenhouse, New York Times, November 16, 2009.
Read the Full Article here
“A new study of workers at 50 hotels in the United States found that women were 50 percent more likely to be injured than men, and that Hispanic women had an injury rate two-thirds higher than their white female counterparts.” — Steven Greenhouse, New York Times, November 10, 2009
Read the full article here…
A recent study of low wage workers in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles found that low wage workers were frequently cheated out of regular and/or overtime wages.
Further, the New York Times reported that “the researchers said one of the most surprising findings was how successful low-wage employers were in pressuring workers not to file for workers’ compensation. Only 8 percent of those who suffered serious injuries on the job filed for compensation to pay for medical care and missed days at work stemming from those injuries.”
Labor Day event in historic Pullman.
Labor Day March for Justice from Union Park (1501 W. Randolph in Chicago) to Federal Plaza in downtown Chicago.
Lawmakers in Wyoming are debating the measures necessary to decrease the high number of worker deaths within Wyoming’s borders. The full article can be read here.
Teamsters Local 743 set up a strike line at SK Hand Tools in Chicago (3535 W. 47th St.) and McCook (9500 W. 55th St.) on August 25, 2009. SK Hand Tools unilaterally withdrew health insurance coverage and demanded wage concessions that barely put members above the minimum wage.
Strike support will be needed on a 24/7 basis at both locations – please contact the Teamsters Local 743 union hall at (773) 254-7460 for more information.
Read more on the Teamster’s website
Two workers at the Columbus Food Co. on Chicago’s west side were injured on July 18, 2009, when an explosion occurred inside the vegetable oil plant.
Read the article here.
An explosion at the Mueller Copper Tube Facility in Fulton , Mississippi on July 30, 2009, resulted in a fatality. It was third fatality at the plant since 2008.
Mueller Industries has a history of safety violations.
Development of the Las Vegas Strip resulted in safety regulations becoming a secondary concern. Lax enforcement of safety regulations at construction sites in Las Vegas led to 12 workers deaths in 18 months. Alexandra Berzon reported on the circumstances surrounding these tragedies. Her reporting led to increased enforcement by safety agencies and no worker deaths since June 2008. For her reporting at the Las Vegas Sun, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.
You can read the entire series here.