From: Trina Tocco (talkalot83@hotmail.com)
Date: Thu Oct 24 2002 - 09:26:34 EDT
http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20021023/1041143.asp
WORKER RIGHTS CONSORTIUM
Labor rights group hails efforts to improve conditions at New Era Cap
By MATT GLYNN
News Business Reporter
10/23/2002
A labor monitoring group supported by colleges and universities has issued a
positive report about working conditions at New Era Cap Co.'s Derby plant,
after
criticizing the company in a preliminary report last year.
The Washington, D.C.-based Worker Rights Consortium said New Era had
resolved
many of the concerns raised in the August 2001 report. It also said the
capmaker
had committed to addressing remaining issues related to ergonomics.
Overall, the report described New Era's efforts as "extensive and genuine."
Scott Nova, executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium, credited
colleges and universities with helping persuade New Era to work with the
consortium.
"I think it became clear to the company that their college and university
partners wanted them to address substantive concerns about working
conditions
and cooperate with the monitoring process."
Timothy Freer, New Era's director of human resources, said the positive
report
will help strengthen its relationship with colleges and universities, which
account for a large part of its business.
"I think it's a very favorable report," Freer said. "We spent quite a bit of
time with the Worker Rights Consortium over the past few months."
Freer noted that last month, the Fair Labor Association, also based in
Washington, D.C., had accepted New Era's application for membership, giving
the
company's practices another significant stamp of approval.
After the Worker Rights Consortium had issued its preliminary report last
year,
several colleges and universities that recognize the group as a labor
standards
monitor had dropped their contracts with New Era or allowed their deals to
expire.
Freer said New Era has regained some of that business from colleges and is
working to restore its contracts with others.
The Worker Rights Consortium described last year's report on New Era as
"preliminary" because company officials did not participate in it. The
organization wanted input from the company before reaching definitive
conclusions, Nova said.
That cooperation came last March, when New Era officials agreed to provide
documents, and allowed access to the plant, workers and management
officials.
When members of CWA Local 14177 voted last summer to end an 11-month strike
at
the Derby plant, CWA officials withdrew their complaint to the consortium
and
requested the investigation be dropped.
But Nova said the consortium was obligated to finish the investigation once
it
was under way. Last month, the assessment team made a follow-up visit to the
Derby plant, after the site had staffed up its production department
following
the end of the walkout.
A CWA official could not be reached to comment.
Nova said the labor agreement contributed to the positive review given by
the
Worker Rights Consortium, in two ways. New Era's willingness to negotiate a
deal
was a sign of its good-faith efforts, he said, and the contract's contents
dealt
with a number of the issues raised in the preliminary report.
The Worker Rights Consortium stood by the findings of its preliminary
report,
but said there had been "very substantial positive changes" at the Derby
plant
since then, in both freedom of association, and health and safety issues.
The investigation began after seven workers in May 2001 alleged "serious
violations" of the Worker Rights Consortium and university codes of conduct.
The preliminary report included evidence that union workers or activists had
been threatened or intimidated, and that the company had failed to bargain
in
good faith with the union.
In its follow-up report, the Worker Rights Consortium said it could not
reach a
firm conclusion on one of the workers' central claims: that New Era moved
some
production and equipment from Derby to a nonunion plant in Alabama, in
retaliation for the Derby workers' vote to affiliate with CWA.
The company contends it made those moves based on Derby's relative
unproductivity and high rates of absenteeism.
In its follow-up report, the consortium said relations between the company
and
union have improved, and that a "spirit of cooperation and mutual respect"
to
resolve problems now exists at the Derby plant.
Freer echoed that view, saying the company regularly meets with union
members to
discuss concerns. "The atmosphere has been very good," he said.
The report also had largely positive things to say about the Derby plant's
recent record on health and safety issues.
For instance, workers are now playing a more active role in health and
safety
issues, as called for in the labor contract, and management is showing
responsiveness to worker concerns.
The Worker Rights Consortium called for New Era to conduct a comprehensive,
department-by-department assessment of ergonomic hazards. And during the
follow-up investigation, some workers complained that new piece rates put
into
effect at the plant were increasing their risk of injuries.
The company has agreed to have a professional ergonomist conduct the
comprehensive study the consortium called for. The company said it will
determine whether it needs to make any changes in equipment, rates or other
areas, and share its findings with the Worker Rights Consortium.
The organization said the company has taken steps to improve its record
keeping
for work place injuries, as well as prevention and tracking of needle
punctures.
*************************
Trina Tocco
WMU Peace Center
2101 Wilbur
Kalamazoo, MI 49006
616-344-4076
cell 616-873-1000
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