Keeping violence at bay
Like so many of the nation’s workplaces, UAW-represented worksites must contend with workplace violence.
This violence is often a byproduct of stressful social problems spilling
over into the workplace.
Pressures from the sluggish economy may increase incidents of workplace violence,
especially in social service and health care settings. Police, security guards,
prison employees and retail workers also face high risks.
Although violence between fellow workers gets the most publicity, it’s the smallest part of the national problem.
Most occupational fatalities in manufacturing and construction come from long-recognized causes such as faulty machinery, falls, transportation accidents, fires and electrocutions. Workplace homicide rates in traditional blue-collar occupations are lower than the national average for all occupations and for citizens at large.
The causes of violence within the workplace are the problems of society as a whole, sometimes aggravated by increased overtime and job speedup, the threat of job loss and job conflicts.
Stress management should be a key element in addressing violence prevention.
Each UAW-represented workplace should have:
• A written workplace violence prevention program.
• An emergency response program, including a response to violent incidents.
• An active Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to help members under stress.
• Policies which eliminate weapons from the workplace to the degree possible, reducing the climate of fear and the potential for disaster.
Intentional injury causes about one out of six occupational fatalities in
the United States.
About 80 percent of workplace homicides are committed during robberies, usually
in retail and service sector jobs.
Fatal assaults by a co-worker or former co-worker are only about 6 percent of workplace fatalities, although these are the high-profile cases that make the headlines. To address this problem, we must provide protection for workers, including protection against weapons.
Workplace security is a matter over which the employer has some control and
a clear set of responsibilities. Security can and should be dealt with in the
context of collective bargaining.
Interpersonal violence among employees involves worker rights, employer responsibilities,
and broad legal and social issues.
The UAW opposes any effort to respond to concerns or exploit publicity by moving against workers based on a “profile” of violence-prone characteristics. Other than a previous history of violent behavior, there is no credible profile that accurately predicts whether an individual is likely to commit a violent act.
Union health and safety, EAP and other bargaining representatives should participate in the development and implementation of explicit policies and procedures regarding job-related violence and abuse in the workplace, as well as security and emergency response.
The UAW Health and Safety Department regularly conducts workshops on workplace violence. The department’s training materials are available to all local unions upon request.
