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Archives of Business Research – Vol. 12, No. 6
Publication Date: June 25, 2024
DOI:10.14738/abr.126.17212.
Glines-Allen, S., & Ruttenberg, R. (2024). Health and Safety Training to Include Disaster Response: Building Better Resiliency
Through Union Leadership. Archives of Business Research, 12(6). 112-119.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Health and Safety Training to Include Disaster Response:
Building Better Resiliency Through Union Leadership
Shari Glines-Allen
Center for Worker Health and Safety Education
International Chemical Workers Union Council
Ruth Ruttenberg
Ruth Ruttenberg & Associates
ABSTRACT
Eleven trade union leaders, many familiar with basic occupational safety and
health, but many not significantly trained in the field, received two weeks of
disaster response training. In zoom interviews they told of how their unions
responded to such disasters as 9-11, the Covid-19 pandemic, and Hurricanes Sandy,
Maria, and Harvey. Unions, as is their historical practice, helped individuals,
workplaces, and communities with resilience, but all participants said there needed
to be much better at pre-disaster planning, training, and hard work to be able to
respond adequately to future events.
INTRODUCTION
The International Chemical Workers Health and Safety Training Center brought 11 trade union
leaders1 together for two weeks in a Disaster Response Training course. These individuals
worked in New York, Maryland, and Virginia – in areas of flooding, hurricanes, and other natural
or man-made disasters. Many had experienced 9-11, Hurricane Sandy, and Hurricane Harvey.
Several were directly, hands-on, involved in Covid-19 response.
The individuals represented local union presidents and shop stewards, health and safety
committee chairs and members, as well as members and leaders in LCLAA and CBTU.2 As union
leaders, excited by the new knowledge they obtained, they are poised to make a difference in
disaster preparedness and disaster response in their unions. They are prepared to contribute
significantly to the resilience of individuals, their workplaces, and their communities.
Trade union members, through the decades, have been known to come to the aid and comfort
of their union brothers and sisters – on the picket line, in the face of a workplace disaster, and
when a natural disaster occurs. They look after each other, with moral support, cash gifts, food
baskets, and help with housing, health care and childcare. This is done on a person-to-person
1
From the American Federation of Government Employees; American Federation of State, County & Municipal
Employees (AFSCME) District #37; AFSCME 2250, Maryland; AFSCME Local 557, Maryland; New York State United
State Teachers, American Federation of Teachers (AFT); Social Service Employees #371 (New York, run by AFSCME
District Council #37); State Public Employees Federation, New York; Public Employees Federation through AFT, New
York; Transit Workers Local 100, New York.
2
Labor Council for Latin American Advancement and Coalition of Black Trade Unionists
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Glines-Allen, S., & Ruttenberg, R. (2024). Health and Safety Training to Include Disaster Response: Building Better Resiliency Through Union
Leadership. Archives of Business Research, 12(6). 112-119.
URL: http://doi.org/10.14738/abr.126.17212
basis and also on a union-organized effort. Union members are an important part of recovery
where they exist.
Unions, however, have not generally been involved in disaster preparedness and disaster
response unless their occupational environments require it – police officers, firefighters, transit
officials, hospital workers. And, even in these cases disaster planning has not necessarily been
a strong suit. What these 11 trade unionists described in individual zoom interviews was
nothing short of the need for better preparedness and a commitment that they would use their
new knowledge from ICWUC classes to improve future resiliency in the face of disaster.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Promoting resiliency in disaster-hit locations is crucial to recovery. This includes workplace
and community resilience as well as personal resilience. A key finding in this research is that
most response is not pre-planned, but rather it immediately follows a disaster and then quickly
fades in intensity. Personal resilience actions are primarily related to food, water, and housing
– often lacking response to the trauma and emotional problems that need actions as well.
Unions could help their members and their communities by giving more attention to pre- planning and longer-term follow-up.
Individual Resilience
Resilience is the ability to bounce back from hardships, but it is more. According to an article in
the Harvard Business Review,
3 “resilience isn’t just a kind of solitary internal ‘grit’ that allows us
to bounce back. New research shows that resilience is also heavily enabled by strong
relationships and networks.” The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services goes on to say
that “individual resilience involves behaviors, thoughts, and actions that promote personal
wellbeing and mental health. It refers to a person’s ability to withstand, adapt to, and recover
from adversity.”
4 The American Psychological Association emphasizes something that unions
do well, that: “connecting with empathetic and understanding people can remind you that
you’re not alone in the midst of difficulties.”
5 This can help to work against isolation and
depression when disasters strike.
Community Resilience
“Building community resilience is an attempt to keep the community from irrevocably
changing for the worse as the result of ...crises.”6 Using resilience to the Covid pandemic as an
example, the physician leading the Office of Disease Control and Prevention at the U.S.
3 Cross, R, Dillon, K., Greenberg, D., The Secret to Building Resilience, Harvad Business Review, January 29, 2021,
https://hbr.org/2021/01/the-secret-to-building-resilience, retrieved May 25, 2024.
4 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Individual Resilience...,
https://files.asprtracie.hhs.gov/documents/responder-resilience-factsheet.pdf, retrieved May 25, 2024.
5 American Psychological Association, Building Your Resilience, February 1, 2020,
https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience/building-your-resilience, retrieved May 25, 2024.
6
Lerch, D., Six Foundations for Community Resilience, Resilience.org, November 28, 2018,
https://www.resilience.org/stories/2018-11-28/six-foundations-for-community- resilience/#:~:text=Resilience%20is%20the%20ability%20of%20a%20system%20%28like,all%20while%20retaining%20
the%20essence%E2%80%94or%20%E2%80%9Cidentity%E2%80%9D%E2%80%94of%20the%20system, retrieved May
25, 2024.
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Department of Health and Human Services, wrote, “COVID-19 has clearly demonstrated what
we already knew at some level to be true: a diminished baseline level of resilience is reflected
not just in a single person’s vulnerabilities but also in the risks to family, friends, and
community. The pandemic has also made clear that previous approaches to recovery —
typically with a focus on returning to the pre-crisis state — are insufficient and will not lead to
enhanced resilience.”7
Responder Resilience
Many union workers are first responders in emergencies.“A disaster can impair resilience, even
for experienced responders, due to stress, traumatic exposure, distressing psychological
reactions, and disrupted social networks. Feelings of grief, sadness, and a range of other
emotions are common after traumatic events.”8 Special attention to resilience programs is an
important consideration among first responders.
Unions Helping in Emergencies
While unions respond frequently to disasters, especially those involving their members, below
are just a few examples:
After Hurricane Sandy: 9 Communication Workers of America/Verizon Workers worked
overtime to restore service. In New Jersey they also were cleaning and repairing bridges and
roads and taking 911 calls. Other union volunteers played a big role in clearing downed trees.
Volunteers from two locals of the Laborers arrived at a disaster site with saws and got to work
immediately. A steamfitter from Staten Island went to help clean up a devastated neighborhood
there. His job site was underwater, so he hauled trash and damaged belongings out of
basements and apartments. Members of the United Federation of Teachers handed out fliers in
devastated neighborhoods advising people of locations for food and supplies, how to apply for
FEMA funding, and letting them know where they could get internet access and phone charging.
On a more national level, after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, 300 union volunteers – about
100 health care workers, 100 building trades workers and 100 teamsters – flew to Puerto Rico
and spent two weeks helping with recovery and restoration.10
An AFL-CIO blog reported that: Following two back-to-back hurricanes devastating large parts
of Puerto Rico and Florida, “union members are doing what we do best: lending a helping hand
to help each other regain our strength.”
11 In Florida, where Hurricane Ian caused widespread
7 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Paul Reed, Health and Well-Being Matter, January 27, 2022,
https://health.gov/news/202201/equity-and-enhanced-individual-and-community-resilience-are-integral-meaningful- recovery, retrieved May 25, 2024.
8 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Individual Resilience...
9
Shapiro, L., Union Workers Help Hurricane Sandy-Ravaged Neighborhoods: Hurricane Sandy Cleanup Falls to
Organized Labor, Huff Post Impact, November 2, 2012, http://www.huffpost.com/entry/union-workers-hurricane- sandy_n_2067754, retrieved May 26, 2024.
10 McIntosh, D., In the Aftermath of Hurricane Maria: Union Volunteers Mobilize for Puerto Rico, Northwest Labor
Press, October 27, 2017, https://nwlaborpress.org/2017/10/in-the-aftermath-of-hurricane-maria-union-volunteers- mobilize-for-puerto-rico/, retrieved June 4, 2024.
11 AFL-CIO, Quinnell, K. Gallant, A., Service+Solidarity Spotlight: Union members Sep Up to Help Communities Affected
by Hurricanes Fiona, Ian, October 12, 2022, https://aflcio.org/2022/10/12/service-solidarity-spotlight-union- members-step-help-communities-affected-hurricanes, retrieved June 4, 202
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Glines-Allen, S., & Ruttenberg, R. (2024). Health and Safety Training to Include Disaster Response: Building Better Resiliency Through Union
Leadership. Archives of Business Research, 12(6). 112-119.
URL: http://doi.org/10.14738/abr.126.17212
damage, union members sorted through donated supplies and distributed them to families in
need. And in Puerto Rico, members of the Puerto Rico Federation of Labor continued to receive
shipments to the island, where badly needed food and other items were organized and given
out to fellow union members.
The Union Plus Disaster Relief Fund has provided nearly $1 million in assistance to union
members facing hardships following hurricanes, flooding, and other natural disasters. After
Hurricane Ian, they offered $500 grants to members who were affected.12
The Work of the Worker Training Program at the National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences (NIEHS) to Build Coalitions and Resiliency to Disasters
NIEHS’s Worker Training Program (WTP) sponsors a Hazmat Disaster Preparedness Worker
Training Program (HDTP) which brings its grantees of union, university, and non-profit
consortia together to build an ability to prepare for and respond to disasters, both natural and
man-made. The International Chemical Workers Union Consortium (ICWUC) reflects the model
and hard work involved in this effort. The ICWUC brings together twelve large national
organizations, including nine union groups, and focuses primarily on Disaster Train-the- Trainer training. This training provides rank-and-file trade unionists and associated
individuals, the ability to train other unionists and community members in how to prepare for
and respond to disasters.
A separate study of these specially trained trainers13 documents a national network of those
committed to the individuals in their unions and communities. Just the twenty interviewed for
that study have built coalitions with at least 16 important partners: the A. Phillip Randolph
Institute, emergency medical technicians, faith-based NGOs, the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA), Firefighters, Local Emergency Planning Committees, medical
centers, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Other unions (including the
American Federation of Teachers, Amalgamated Transit Union, Communication Workers of
Amerca, and National Education Association), police, Red Cross, schools, security officers, state
and local officials, State Emergency Management Agencies, and universities.
In emergencies these coalitions mattered. The interviewees from this earlier research said that
after Hurricane Sandy, response and training came through the New York Committee for
Occupational Safety and health and through them also with the New York City Housing
Authority, AmeriCorps, and local Staten Island organizations. Later ICWUC continued it’s
training under the Department of Homeland Security and the Massachusetts Coalition for
Occupational Safety and Health. In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Fey Justicia,
because of its relationship with the National Council of Occupational Safety and Health, was
able to have training occur quickly after the storm subsided. In the aftermath of Hurricane
Maria in Puerto Rico, it was the relationship with the University of Puerto Rico and the
12 Union Plus, Help to those impacted by Hurricane Ian, October 15, 2022, https://www.unionplus.org/blog/union- issues/help-those-impacted-hurricane-ian, retrieved June 4, 2024.
13 Allen, S., Morawetz, J., Ruttenberg, R., “Chemical Workers Union Consortium Trains Trainers in Disaster Response
While Building Both Resiliency in Disasters and Preparedness,” Archives of Business Research, Vol.12 No.4, April 25,
2024.
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American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees that training classes came
together quickly, led by those with Disaster Train-the-Trainer background.
Beyond immediate disaster response, these earlier responders also trained community
members in older urban housing about the threat of mold and built community energy and
attention to the dangers facing people every day – another contribution of building resilience
in affected communities.
METHODOLOGY
Beyond the literature review and discussions with ICWUC staff, all eleven union participants in
the 2024 disaster response training class were interviewed by zoom for approximately 20-30
minutes each to explore with them what their union has done in disasters and what
preparations need to be made for future disasters specially to build resiliency.
PAST PRACTICE
Some disaster practice was basic and fundamental, such as telling members when they are
mandated to report to the nearest center for work and then let supervisors know where they
are.
Exit routes are routinely designated in buildings.
But many of the participants said that they had never learned anything about chemicals or
cleaning up chemical spills, about AED, about resources like the Emergency Response Guide
(ERG), NIOSH Pocket Guide, or Safety Data Sheets. Most did not include disaster response in
their health and safety training and previously had not disaster response training themselves.
Because of the frequent flooding of underground transit tunnels and third rail flooding,
members of the Transit Workers Union in New York seemed to have the most sophisticated
disaster response plans of the unions represented by this training program.
DURING AND AFTER THE EMERGENCY
Some members were “hands-on” in their jobs. One participant was a school nurse during the
Covid-19 pandemic. Members of the Transit Union in New York City, familiar with flooding of
the tunnels and the third rail, were first responders immediately after the 9-11 attacks in that
they had to move equipment before police and fire could get into the tunnels. In VA hospitals,
other participants had to establish protocols where there were none. And all those in hospitals
during Covid faced enormous personal stress.
Several participants experienced the challenges and stress of Covid at work. Besides the school
nurse, there were several hospital workers. One described 16-hour high stress days, in part
because many workers stayed home. It was hard on patients as well as staff. At one hospital
with chronically ill patients, the patients themselves were not coming in and out of the facility,
but the staff was coming in and out, and both a patient and a doctor died.
During 9-11 many from the Public Employees Federation were at ground zero in 2001. The
Federation also has U.S. Marshalls organized. They also had major responsibility for getting
people out of the area immediately following the tower collapses.
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Glines-Allen, S., & Ruttenberg, R. (2024). Health and Safety Training to Include Disaster Response: Building Better Resiliency Through Union
Leadership. Archives of Business Research, 12(6). 112-119.
URL: http://doi.org/10.14738/abr.126.17212
For transit workers, during Sandy, there were individuals well-trained from floods who knew
what to do. They knew Sandy was coming. Transit members were in place before the
emergency. Assessment was done and teams were moved to locations ahead of time with New
York City departments to coordinate. A challenge was how to move people. They do it often so
emergency response teams know what they are going to do. Members in that union are well- trained in critical emergency response.
Union members in the schools were significantly affected after Hurricane Sandy. There needed
to be assessments of flood damage. Electricity needed to be restored. While most New York
school districts do disaster plans, there are 700,000 members in the affected union and just one
health and safety person (a participant in the training). There need to be decisions on how to
reopen, what to do with flooding, with mold, asbestos, and with carbon monoxide.
During any emergency, participants felt that people in general bond together. At that moment
people and organizations are resilient. Many participants, especially those from New York, take
pride in the resilience of their city and local communities. “Sometimes the worse things bring
out the best,” said one participant. But many interviewees said they were not focused on the
aftermath of recovery, but rather more on the immediate response and immediate recovery.
According to interviewees, AFSCME provided mental health services after Hurricane Sandy.
One of the interviewees said that some of their members simply could not fathom losing all
their belongings – some of them not for the first time. AFSCME also helped individuals affected
by Sandy with funding, food baskets, and other immediate needs. Another union helped
members with housing.
During Covid, AFSCME distributed N95 masks across the five boroughs of New York.
Unions often try to keep up with damage to individuals, mitigation, and repairs. One
interviewee talked about helping members with transportation and supplies. Another talked
about his union helping with groceries and burials during Covid. After 9-11, one interviewee
said his union sent boots and personal protective equipment to workers on the Pile and the
union worked a lot with the Red Cross.
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
Many participants cited the need for more resources in real time. A lack of investment in
resources, energy, transportation, health and safety, and education were all concerns. There
was also a focus on FEMA’s failure – with many needs left unmet.
At the local level, interviewees said there needs to be more emergency preparedness – beyond
fire, sanitation, health department and transportation departments. There needs to be better
coordination and communication among the groups involved. It was felt that more coordination
is especially needed with firefighters.
Another major need cited for the future is to update old schools and hospital buildings. A lot of
these old buildings have moisture in the walls and mold and the HVAC systems are bad. More
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mold training at schools and hospitals was also a suggestion of several. One Maryland
participant mentioned the building of a new school, but on a flood plain.
Training participants learned a lot, and most wanted more training, especially on disaster
response. Several wanted, upon return home, to have on-site training, to work with building
supervisors to check electric, to obtain Safety Data Sheets, to include disaster response in health
and safety programming, and to check chemicals and learn to respond to spills. They felt
teaching risk assessment and disaster awareness was important.
REFLECTION
Trade unions are well poised to help individuals and communities increase their post-disaster
resiliency. But there is a lot that trade union leaders need to know to lead their members into
increased resiliency during and after a disaster. Interviewees said they found the training eye- opening, and they received an increased understanding of work and what is involved for safety.
For many, even those serving on health and safety committees, a lot of the training material was
new to them. This, for many, was their first look at emergency response, toxicology, chemicals
and dangers of exposure, personal protective equipment, how to use references (such as the
NIOSH Pocket Guide or the Emergency Response Guide or Safety Data Sheets). Decontamination
procedures and ADT awareness were other areas of new knowledge. Fortifying union leaders
with skills necessary to plan for and remediate the effects of disasters is a critical element in
fostering resiliency for individuals, workplaces, and entire communities.
References
AFL-CIO, Quinnell, K. Gallant, A., Service+Solidarity Spotlight: Union members Sep Up to Help Communities Affected
by Hurricanes Fiona, Ian, October 12, 2022, https://aflcio.org/2022/10/12/service-solidarity-spotlight-union- members-step-help-communities-affected-hurricanes, retrieved June 4, 2024.
Allen, S., Morawetz, J., Ruttenberg, R., Chemical Workers Union Consortium Trains Trainers in Disaster Response
While Building Both Resiliency in Disasters and Preparedness,
Archives of Business Research, Vol.12 No.4, April 25, 2024.
American Psychological Association, Building Your Resilience, February 1, 2020,
https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience/building-your-resilience, retrieved May 25, 2024.
Cross, R, Dillon, K., Greenberg, D., The Secret to Building Resilience, Harvad Business Review, January 29, 2021,
https://hbr.org/2021/01/the-secret-to-building-resilience, retrieved May 25, 2024.
Lerch, D., Six Foundations for Community Resilience, Resilience.org, November 28, 2018,
https://www.resilience.org/stories/2018-11-28/six-foundations-for-community- resilience/#:~:text=Resilience%20is%20the%20ability%20of%20a%20system%20%28like,all%20while%20re
taining%20the%20essence%E2%80%94or%20%E2%80%9Cidentity%E2%80%9D%E2%80%94of%20the%2
0system, retrieved May 25, 2024.
McIntosh, D., In the Aftermath of Hurricane Maria: Union Volunteers Mobilize for Puerto Rico, Northwest Labor
Press, October 27, 2017, https://nwlaborpress.org/2017/10/in-the-aftermath-of-hurricane-maria-union- volunteers-mobilize-for-puerto-rico/, retrieved June 4, 2024.
Page 8 of 8
119
Glines-Allen, S., & Ruttenberg, R. (2024). Health and Safety Training to Include Disaster Response: Building Better Resiliency Through Union
Leadership. Archives of Business Research, 12(6). 112-119.
URL: http://doi.org/10.14738/abr.126.17212
Shapiro, L., Union Workers Help Hurricane Sandy-Ravaged Neighborhoods: Hurricane Sandy Cleanup Falls to
Organized Labor, Huff Post Impact, November 2, 2012, http://www.huffpost.com/entry/union-workers- hurricane-sandy_n_2067754, retrieved May 26, 2024.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Paul Reed, Health and Well-Being Matter, January 27, 2022,
https://health.gov/news/202201/equity-and-enhanced-individual-and-community-resilience-are-integral- meaningful-recovery, retrieved May 25, 2024.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Individual Resilience...,
https://files.asprtracie.hhs.gov/documents/responder-resilience-factsheet.pdf, retrieved May 25, 2024.
Union Plus, help to those impacted by Hurricane Ian, October 15, 2022, https://www.unionplus.org/blog/union- issues/help-those-impacted-hurricane-ian, retrieved June 4, 2024.