Guild representatives met with The Associated Press on Friday to discuss issues relating to muscular skeletal disorders involving photographers and videographers along with repetitive strain injuries.
Article 32, Health and Safety, Section 7 and 8, provides training program terms that are designed to prevent injuries and recognize developing problems so treatment can be obtained. AP has contracted with Zurich Services Corporation to provide group training where attendance is mandatory or to meet with employees individually to make recommendations to prevent the injuries.
Zurich recommendations can include chairs, monitor risers, a new mouse, touch pads, gels, task lights, foot rests and document holders. AP has in the past provided some employees with voice activated computers if needed as an accommodation to perform their jobs.
AP policy says employees are not required to stay at their video display terminals for unreasonable periods of time, so they can rest their eyes and bodies.
The company provided the union with a list of seven bureaus that will be visited by Zurich this year to meet AP's commitment to conduct training in the 41 control bureaus from 2006 to date. It also provided copies of the reports filed by Zurich on its meetings with individuals, which includes a sheet on its recommendations for each person who was assessed.
Many staffers had problems with workstations that left them pressing wrists and arms against hard desk edges, had monitors at the wrong heights, had no phone headsets or didn’t have adjustable keyboard trays.
AP said managers notify all employees when Zurich is scheduled to be in the office and ask who wants their workstations assessed. Zurich will meet with them if possible, but staff scheduling, vacations and breaking news often prevents it.
AP said Zurich's recommendations are given to local managers who may or may not act on them. It said some accommodations, such as chairs, are ordered through New York and are provided promptly. AP said it has been unable to monitor local mangers’ responses to the recommendations, and is working on a system to do that. The Guild said it will reach out to the affected individuals to evaluate the program.
"The class and individual meetings are good, but meaningless if the recommendations aren't provided. We hope the managers have been responsive," said Don Ryan, chair of the committee. He added, "The company restructuring has our attention, but RSI injuries and the muscular and skeletal disorders suffered by staff carrying heavy loads remain an important health and job security issue. They can be career busters."
The Guild pressed to have the photographer injuries study agreed to during the last negotiations done by New York University. It should include a review of existing records, individual and group meetings, site visits, regular meetings with the Guild, management and the affected employees, static strength tests and heart rate evaluations. The issue is still open.
Representing the Guild were Don Ryan of Portland, Oregon, Linda Johnson of Trenton, Pat Turley of Chicago, Deputy Administrator Karl Jendretzky and Administrator Kevin Keane. Representing AP were Michelle Ehrlich, Sue Gilkey and Gail Holloman of Human Resources.