Message from Financial Secretary, Steven Schmitt
After the recent incident this past Friday at Newark site I want to once again stress the importance of safety on the job and knowing your surroundings. In regards to the SOP and the Guide-way safety, when working on or about the system there should always be a spotter (area coordinator) in the crew. The only job task of this person is to watch for all train movement around any and everyone working in that area. He/she should not have any other task at this time. It does not matter who ask you to do what, the spotter must only watch and ensure the safety of his/her crew. Any job that you are assigned to do and you feel is unsafe, stop what you are doing and contact a supervisor and a union rep to address the issue. In this industry that we work there are safety hazards that we encounter each and every day, but how we handle them could be the difference in going home or not. I honestly can not stress this enough and hope this message reaches everyone. Please feel free contact myself or you local union rep with questions or concerns you may have.