Case Scenario:
Labor Relations (Unions), Wage and Hour Laws, OSHA
Persistent violators of OSHA regulations are of major concern to government regulators, the general public and employees themselves. What should be done when a company repeatedly ignores safety violations?
For your case assignment, you will read about an employment situation that might seem unreal. Read the following article, available in ProQuest:
David Barstow and Lowell Bergman. (2003, March 11). OSHA to address persistent violators of job safety rules. New York Times (Late Edition (east Coast)), p. A.1. Retrieved November 11, 2009, from National Newspapers (27) database. (Document ID: 304103091).
Then read The McWane Story. Read about its philosophy, its record, and the people killed in its plants. Plus, examine company and government documents -- and more of McWane's response to FRONTLINE, The New York Times and the CBC's reporting at PBS' Front Line web site. Be sure that you understand the various nuances of the case by reading--The McWane Way, The Victims, OSHA Rejects, and McWane's Response. For an update, please read https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/mcwane/way/. Also look into OSHA, by reading www.osha.gov/doc/outreachtraining/htmlfiles/introsha.html. Conduct a search looking for more recent information on both McWane and on OSHA.
After you have read the various items from the websites above and the New York Times article, be sure to look for recent articles on the McWane company and on OSHA to see if any recent developments/changes have occurred.
Please answer the following: (Case and SLP together in one paper):
- Before the PBS investigation, why was OSHA ineffective in bringing about change in McWane's unsafe work practices?
- Consider the role of the labor union at McWane. What were the union's activities as they regarded safety? Was there more that they could/should have done? What should be a labor union's role in employee safety?
- Did change finally take place? Did OSHA bring about changes? Did the union? Be specific. Look for another company's large scale unsafe practices that have gained OSHA's attention recently. How do those practices/violations compare to McWane's?
- Were there changes made to OSHA's handling of unsafe practices under the Bush administration (beyond changes to OSHA Standards)? Please discuss.
- Have there been changes to OSHA under the Obama administration? What changes are expected? Discuss.
- Summarize your Fed Ex's practices/programs as they relate to safety. What advice might Fed Ex make to the McWane Company today concerning workplace safety?
In your response, be sure to include citations and references to your background readings and library/web research.
Paper length: 7 to 8 pages, not counting the cover and reference pages.