Utility work is difficult and dangerous. I’ve seen members with decades of experience make mistakes that almost cost them their lives. In my tenure as president of UWUA and in leadership at Local 1-2, I’ve sat with too many families who have lost loved ones on the job. Unsafe working conditions and insufficient training carry an incredibly high human cost.
This June, during National Safety Month, we rededicate ourselves to fighting for stronger safety protections and speaking up when we see something that doesn’t look right. This is more important than ever because the laws that have kept us safer on the job for decades — and the mechanisms that enforce them — are under attack.
It’s imperative that we remember this and repeat the message often: Safety is not a box to check. It’s a culture and a calling.
There are many locals and individual members across the UWUA showing what it means to live and breathe safety. They’ve ratified contracts with the strongest possible safety language, connected members to mental health resources, launched training programs to equip new members with proper safety protocols, and carved out new professional safety roles in contracts.
Local 601 members Mike Garcia, Mark Auriemma, and Joe Arroyo, alongside company management, created the Customer Care Slow Speed Driving Course in response to rising accident rates among employees who drive for work. The program has succeeded in lowering vehicle incidents.
We also have members like Leroy Huckleberry of Local 223 closely tracking injury trends as they develop. In 2025, for example, he noticed slip-and-fall accidents were on the rise during the winter and recommended the company purchase anti-slip footwear to reduce incident rates. Huckleberry has spent most of his career in a safety role after his local successfully bargained for these positions.
Our members have so many unique insights into improving our safety culture that employers are winning awards for their ideas. In Region IV, a UWUA employer received the 2025 Thomas F. Farrell II Safety Leadership and Innovation Award for an innovative new use of CPR technology in wind tower rescue developed by Charlie Dame.
Your UWUA Safety Committee members are always working hard to share information and best practices that can benefit all locals. All Safety Committee members recently completed a train-the-trainer program to educate others on creating effective safety committees and successfully performing peer-to-peer safety visits. Members of Local 500 in Illinois recently benefited from one of these sessions. Committee members are also utilizing AI technology to track safety standards and best practices.
It’s more important than ever for members to advocate for safer working conditions because the agencies charged with enforcing safety regulations and holding employers accountable are quietly being undermined and weakened.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is now responsible for overseeing 85% more establishments and 44% more workers, including new hazards and technologies. Congress has reduced OSHA’s budget by 10% and staffing by 26%, including a 16% reduction in inspectors, according to the AFL-CIO’s 2026 Death on the Job report. (Scan QR code to read report.)
In 2024, more than 380 workers died each day from hazardous working conditions. We cannot become complacent, take existing protections for granted, or take our foot off the gas in the fight for stronger safety regulations.
At the federal level, stronger job safety protections require action from Congress, federal agencies, and data collection bodies. Congress must defend and increase funding for safety agencies, reinstate wrongfully removed appointees, and pass key legislation to expand coverage, strengthen penalties, and address emerging hazards like heat and workplace violence.
My challenge to you this National Safety Month is to find a way to carry the momentum forward for the rest of the year. Join or start a safety committee at your local, report a hazard you’ve observed, or mentor newer workers. Safety is a fundamental expression of solidarity. Let’s protect each other — every shift, every day.