“Striketober” is taking the nation’s employers by storm — even as many companies struggle with major labor shortages brought on by the unprecedented events of the past two years.
Why are thousands of workers walking off the job at places like John Deere and Kellogg’s? Because they’re tired of poor working conditions — conditions that often put them in unreasonable danger of physical injuries.
Employers are scrambling, but workers are hurting
The labor shortage is very real, and there’s no sign that’s about to change any time soon. Numerous companies have resorted to desperate measures to fill end-line positions.
That includes shifting employees who normally work in office jobs onto factory floors and hiring anyone they can find and putting them to work with little (or no) training. What about employees who are already on the front lines of many industries? Whether you’re talking about postal workers, factory workers or delivery drivers, many are being told to work “mandatory overtime” in futile attempts to keep business operating as usual.
What happens when you get a lot of untrained, poorly trained or flat-out exhausted employees working together? You end up with accidents.
It’s no secret that untrained or under-trained workers are more likely to get injured on the job than seasoned employees who better understand the risks they face, the equipment they’re handling and the safety precautions they need to take. And tired workers are also at risk of health problems related to poor eating habits, higher levels of stress and fatigue-related injuries.
There are no easy answers to the current labor shortage — but American workers can’t continue to pay the price for the labor shortage with their health. If you end up injured on the job, make sure that you fully pursue your right to workers’ compensation benefits right away.
