Column on job safety off target

Letter to the editor in response to Robert Schaffer’s guest column (“Let’s work together for better job safety regulations,” April 30).

I could not help but respond to Schaffer’s article regarding job safety in the Mississippi workplace. It was readily apparent that his only focus was to denigrate those who may disagree with him and then to espouse his hatred for all things Republican and/or non-union.

As an employer in a small family-owned Mississippi company, I am extremely proud of our safety record in both manufacturing and construction. I can count on less than both hands the number of accidents we have experienced in almost 20 years covering literally millions of man-hours. Training, safety, and health have never taken a back seat to profits. I am personally aware of the safety records of many of my peers throughout our industry and they are exemplary.

Unfortunately, accidents happen with the best of precautions. To insinuate that it is related to a political or non-union affiliation is pure poppycock. To try and draw a conclusion of accidents by union status would be an exercise in futility. Less than 7 percent of Mississippi employees choose to be represented by a union, making it almost a non-factor in our state. Schaffer’s feeble attempt to connect the dots between job safety and organized labor in our state just doesn’t fly.

Rick White

Raymond