Bargaining for Health and Safety

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Safety is one of the major issues we bargain with IP in our Master Agreement negotiations. Some mills and converters also negotiate their own site-specific safety issues in their Local Agreement negotiations. Through this process, the Bargaining Committee has won several major victories:

Safety Training

We conduct industry-leading Joint Health & Safety Workshops across the IP system in both the mills and converters, often on-site and led by union leaders. 

Additionally, we have an annual Mill Joint Safety Conference that allows union leaders to have a voice in future company safety initiatives and share safety success stories across the system. 

Joint Health & Safety Committees 

We established top-level Joint Health & Safety Committees for both the mills and converters that include local and international union leadership and company labor, safety and health professionals. 

Through these committees we’ve worked together to get members’ input on appropriate safety leading indicators, improved safety leadership training, and improved the LIFE Program and Hazard Identification and Controls among other projects. 

Emergency Response Team

The USW has a team of trained professionals who respond to fatalities and life-altering injuries across the IP system, including assisting in investigations and developing recommendations to prevent future accidents.

This Emergency Response Team is available 24/7.