Adam Larson
Vice President, Safety+Health Coordinator
Email: vp@usw5000.org
Phone: (440) 534-3109
The safety and health of our members should be about more than insurance rate reductions and the bottom line and go beyond the end of regular safety meetings and obscure entries into a computer database. Our foremost priority is to ensure the health and safety of our workers. This page contains information about safety issues facing our membership and our current areas of focus.
While USW Local 5000 focuses on specific issues from time to time, it is always the right time to contact us whenever you feel that the health and safety of our members is being compromised. Reach out to the Safety+Health Coordinator or any member of local union leadership to discuss any of your concerns.
COVID-19 Pandemic
While we are seemingly in the home stretch at the end of the pandemic, threats to our member's health are still very real, and the subject of mandating a vaccine is an important conversation. We support proactive measures against introducing the virus aboard our member's vessels, such as limiting visitors and screening for symptoms of COVID-19. While we support these measures and encourage our members to consider vaccination, we do not support mandating the vaccine at any of our workplaces. The decision to receive a vaccine is a matter of personal choice that each member should make on their own, and our union stands ready to fight any employer who takes it upon themselves to make these decisions on behalf of their employees.
Click here to view information specific to COVID-19 and the maritime industry.
Dock Safety
For too many years, our employers have shown weakness in pressuring their customers to provide a safe area to perform mooring operations while docking at various facilities. Our safety has become more of a marketing tool instead of genuine concern, and each year our members are forced to bear the burden of ensuring our own safety. Even though unstable footing caused the tragic death of one of our members in 2019, our members continue to report that these same conditions continue to be tolerated.
Beginning in the summer of 2021, USW Local 5000 is taking a more aggressive approach to pressure management to do the right thing for their employees. We are currently asking our members to report unsafe dock conditions to the union so we can assess the current situation at various locations more accurately.
All members will have an opportunity to provide their thoughts and will receive an email and text message with a link to a questionnaire which will also be available in the official USW Local 5000 mobile app. Additionally, the local union will be providing Ship's Chairmen with paper forms for members who wish to use a hard-copy form. Please watch for this form to arrive, and we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity.