Health and Safety Grant Award for Michigan RWDSU (10/10/08)

(l to r) Fred Jimenez, RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum, Health and Safety Director Steve Mooser, Recorder Amelia Tucker, Regional Director Randy Belliel, and Michigan Lt. Gov. John Cherry.

The RWDSU’s Michigan Joint Council has received a grant from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOHSA) Consultation Education and Training (CET) Program to continue to conduct health and safety training for RWDSU members working in food processing facilities. At the RWDSU Six-State Conference on October 3, Michigan Lt. Gov. John Cherry was on hand to speak about the importance of the grant and the high priority he and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm place on worker health and safety.

The program is the only one funded by CET which focuses on workplace hazards within the food processing industry.  The grant this year represents the fifth consecutive year the union has received a funding award from MIOSHA. “Working in food processing can be extremely dangerous,” said Regional Director Randy Belliel. “For workers this kind of training can literally mean the difference between life and death.”  Since 2005, program training sessions have been conducted by Fred Jimenez. Jimenez, a member of Local 602, worked as a maintenance mechanic and production operator at the Country Fresh Dairy in Flint for 15 years.  His experience has been key to the success of the program.  Jimenez said that a highlight of this year’s program was training providing emergency preparedness for over 400 Local 374 members at the Post Cereal plant in Battle Creek.