Dead Whistle Blower Knew

• A Boeing employee, turned whistle blower, was aware of major safety issues before his death.
• The employee, John Barnett, claimed that the company attempted to get rid of quality inspectors at a large Boeing plant in North Charleston.
• In a deposition, Barnett claimed that Boeing employees were pressured to circumvent safety regulations, allowing many faulty parts to make it onto the production line. This included large parts of airplane fuselage.
• Barnett died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in March, not long after he gave testimony. Boeing is saddened but says it has addressed the safety issues.
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Organized Labor Wants Workers to Unionize

• Organized labor is working to impose unions on car manufacturers in the south. Labor unions in the private sector, are known to help employers enforce safety regulations, preventing workplace injuries.
• The move comes after the Union Autoworkers Union forced a lucrative new contractor on auto manufactures in Detroit.
• Last week auto workers in Tennessee voted to unionize,  and workers in Alabama are working on it.
• Speaking in Atlanta, Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su, warned southern states that no workers should face retaliation for trying to unionize a workplace.
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Key Bridge Workers Honored

• The Baltimore community and city government officials,  honored six Key Bridge construction workers who died in the tragic accident that occurred in March.
• Two workers are missing, presumed dead, two were rescued and four were recovered when a cargo ship hit the bridge, causing it to collapse. They were fixing potholes when the bridge fell.
• Labor groups also remembered other workers who lost their lives on this Workers’ Memorial Day, including six construction workers who were hit and killed on I-695 in 2023
• An investigation into the bridge collapse is ongoing. Questions have arisen as to whether there were adequate safety protocols in place when the workers fell into the water.
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Police Officer Killed

• A Massachusetts police officer was struck and killed by an excavator.
• The police officer, Ian Taylor, was at a a construction site when an excavator backed up and rolled over him.
• The officer was reportedly directing a tractor trailer around the site when he was struck. He suffered severe injuries and later died at the hospital.
• The circumstances regarding Taylor’s death are murky. The district attorney’s office is investigating, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has also opened an investigation.
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Hearing Loss: A Workplace Challenge

• Experts say the prevention of hearing loss is a serious challenge on family farms, due to lack of regulation.
• It’s barely noticed because it cannot be seen, unlike other disabilities. It’s estimated that half of all farmers suffer from some noise induced hearing loss.
• An Illinois academic and extension agent, says he’s working to help farmers prevent hearing loss, particularly by recommending head sets to cancel noise.
• One of the big challenges is that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration does not regulate family farms.
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