Health & Safety
Representing manufacturing, production, maintenance and sanitation workers in the baking, confectionery, tobacco and grain milling industries.
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More than 50 years ago on April 28, Workers Memorial Day, the Occupational Safety and Health Act went into effect, promising every worker the right to a safe job—a fundamental right. The law was won because of the tireless efforts of the labor movement, which organized for safer working conditions and demanded action from the government to protect working people. Since then, unions and our allies have fought hard to make that promise a reality—winning...

28 April, 2023

The AFL-CIO’s 2023 edition of Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect uncovered some startling news—the rate of death on the job for Black workers grew to the highest number in nearly two decades. Latino workers have the greatest risk of dying on the job, and their fatality rate has grown by 13% over the past decade. These increases in worker fatalities are not even attributable to COVID-19. There were 343 workers who died on...

27 April, 2023

More than 50 years ago on April 28, Workers Memorial Day, the Occupational Safety and Health Act went into effect, promising every worker the right to a safe job—a fundamental right. The law was won because of the tireless efforts of the labor movement, which organized for safer working conditions and demanded action from the government. Since then, unions and our allies have fought hard to make that promise a reality—winning protections that have made...

28 April, 2022

In response to President Biden's executive order on protecting worker health and safety, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has launched a national emphasis program focusing enforcement efforts on companies that put the largest number of workers at serious risk of contracting the coronavirus. The program also prioritizes employers that retaliate against workers for complaints about unsafe or unhealthy conditions, or for exercising other rights protected by federal law. "This deadly pandemic has taken a staggering...

15 March, 2021

Protect workers. Decrease risk. Increase safety. Check out OSHA's guidance on implementing a COVID-19 Prevention Program in the workplace. OSHA has answers to questions about reporting work-related exposures to COVID-19. https://twitter.com/i/status/1357333085352849410 ...

22 February, 2021

The BCTGM welcomes the message released by leading scientific experts urging stronger protections for workers and the public due to proof that inhalation is the major route of transmission causing COVID-19 infections and outbreaks. Leading scientific and medical experts are calling upon the Biden Administration to take immediate action to address inhalation exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus as a cornerstone of the COVID-19 pandemic response. In a letter to the Biden administrations’ top officials heading the...

19 February, 2021

(Washington, D.C., Dec. 16, 2020)—Too many of America’s workers are being killed on the job and face dangerous working conditions. The latest data from the U.S.  Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries shows that workers of color are especially high risk.  In 2019, 5,333 workers died on the job, the largest number since 2007. That is an average of 15 workers dying each and every day. This does not include the enormous number...

16 December, 2020

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, affecting more than 7.4 million Americans, with more than 210,000 deaths in the United States, the AFL-CIO has released its annual Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect report, which contains data showing how the current administration’s failure to act in the past has been a main contributor to the gravity of the current public health crisis. During a video press conference to release the report, AFL-CIO...

09 October, 2020

Since the pandemic began, OSHA, whose mission is “to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women,” reports that it has received over 10,000 complaints from workers concerned about a lack of protections against the coronavirus. But until early September, six months into the crisis, the agency had issued citations to just two employers, requiring them to adopt safer practices, according to available OSHA records.Read the full article here. ...

07 October, 2020

Statement from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) removing SARS-CoV-2 airborne transmission information from its website: Scientists across the world have been saying for months that the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) travels distances through the air. The CDC finally acknowledged that on Friday but today abruptly retracted that recognition. This is a total and blatant disregard for science and keeps workers from getting the protections we need. This is yet another...

22 September, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has amplified many workers' desires for workplace protections — both against losing their jobs and against the virus. Faced with unsafe working conditions or precarious employment, workers are turning to the BCTGM for help. "Employers may or may not provide the safety tools that workers need. And yet workers know that if they speak up and refuse to work without the proper safety measures, they'll be fired."BCTGM International Director of Organization John Price. Under...

17 September, 2020

As the COVID-19 pandemic ravages the country, working people are looking for ways to join together to form a union in their workplaces and negotiate for strong health and safety protections. The AFL-CIO has launched a new “Am I Safe at Work?” web tool to raise awareness of what a safe workplace should be, and how a union can help achieve those goals. The Am I Safe at Work web tool contains fundamental information to empower...

02 September, 2020

The AFL-CIO has compiled an extensive state-by-state list of resources for workers impacted by the pandemic. The website separates resources under the following categories: Emergency Paid Leave; Health Insurance; Housing and Food Assistance; and Wages and Benefits. Please click here to visit the site and share with anyone impacted by COVID-19. ...

15 May, 2020

Many BCTGM members have worked throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to provide foods and snacks for North American families, while others have had hours reduced or had their plant temporarily closed. As states make plans for re-opening the economy, officials must remember that workers who have risked exposure to a deadly disease during this pandemic will never return to the same, old “normal”.    The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH), has released a report...

14 May, 2020

H.R. 6559 - The COVID-19 Every Worker Protection Act of 2020 would require OSHA to issue a standard to protect essential workers like BCTGM members - on the job during the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to send a letter to Congress urging their immediate support for H.R. 6559: The COVID-19 Every Worker Protection Act of 2020. BCTGM International President Anthony Shelton sent this letter to the U.S. House of Representatives to urge passage of H.R....

07 May, 2020