Working in collaboration with the National COSH Network, NWJP applied for and received a grant to provide safety trainings to employees of small businesses. The grant is targeted to non-literate, low-literacy and limited English proficiency workers, workers in high-hazard industries, temporary workers, and other hard-to-reach workers.
We held our first training on worker safety and health in early June at PCUN, Oregon's farmworker union. The focus was chemical safety- an issue that affects many low-wage workers. Twenty five workers spent two hours with NWJP trainers Laura Galindo Palomera and Kate Suisman talking and learning about how to stay safe at work. The group was very engaged, and many workers stressed the importance of knowing your rights around safety at work. We talked about the short and long-term impacts of working with dangerous chemicals like cleaning products, pesticides and other substances commonly found at work. We also talked about ways to bring up concerns about workplace safety, and retaliation protections for speaking up or invoking your rights.
This was the first in a series of trainings NWJP will lead in the coming months