With partner USW, WEC won a state mandate that 134 New Jersey chemical plants employing more than 38,000 workers must train worker trainers, and their entire work force, about chemical safety and security. This was the first policy of its kind in the nation.
2006 WEC established the WEC Safe Work, Safe Care Advisory Committee to develop and maintain relationships with healthcare unions and organizations, healthcare professionals, and researchers.
WEC released Safety and Security First: Protecting Our Jobs, Families, and Hometowns from Toxic Chemical Disasters report alerting workers and the public to potential dangers from facilities using highly hazardous substances.
2007 WEC with CWA won proposed amendments to NJ’ s Public Employees Occupational Safety and Health Act Indoor Air Quality( IAQ) Standard, including an expanded definition of an office building to include schools and a definition of“ Sick Building Syndrome.”
WEC and allies stopped DuPont from treating wastewater left from the destruction of nerve agent VX, and dumping it into the Delaware River.
2008 WEC won expansion of DEP’ s 2005 rule to cover more New Jersey’ s facilities that use hazardous substances to evaluate whether they might adopt IST.
WEC supported health care unions, led by HPAE, and won two laws signed by Governor Corzine: The Safe Patient Handling Act and the Violence Prevention in Healthcare Facilities Act.
WEC released Still at Risk report documenting 97 industrial facilities still using highly hazardous chemicals and pose a potential catastrophic safety and health risk to workers and / or the public if there were to be a worst-case toxic release caused by an accident or deliberate attack.
2009 WEC assisted the Howell Township Education Associations and stopped the use of Zimek Inc.’ s toxic pesticide fogging machine in Howell Township Public Schools and buses.
WEC joined the BlueGreen Alliance as a NJ affiliate. BGA is a national strategic partnership of labor unions and environmental organizations.
2010
2011
Won with BlueGreen Alliance a landmark policy issued by EPA to engage workers and union representatives during environmental inspections at 13,000 industrial facilities that use high hazard chemicals.
Together with HPAE, WEC won strong regulations for the The Safe Patient Handling Act and the Violence Prevention in Healthcare Facilities Act.
WEC and the Professional Emergency Medical Services Association of NJ won EPA action to force Monmouth Ocean Hospital Service Corporation to stop using toxic misting machines to disinfect ambulances.
2012
2013
WEC and allies formed the Healthy Schools Now Coalition, including more than 20 organizations that represent public school advocates, dedicated to ensuring that all NJ children and school staff employees learn and work in healthy, safe, modern school buildings.
WEC won a new policy issued by the US Chemical Safety Board to include workers and union representatives in investigations of industrial chemical accidents.
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