Eric McHargue is a NAPE/AFSCME member who works as a Senior IT Applications Developer for the Nebraska Department of Revenue. Eric does software development for the Department to keep the Revenue Lottery operations up and running at the Revenue Lottery Headquarters in Lincoln.
In March, Eric became aware of a safety issue at his worksite. Luckily, he handled the situation perfectly. Eric first documented what was happening to management, then he informed his supervisor that he was unwilling to stay in an unsafe situation and requested to remove himself from the unsafe situation. Next, Eric made sure to offer a reasonable solution to the problem. Eric was wise and did all of these steps in writing so that he had good documentation. Eric also made sure to reach out to NAPE/AFSCME headquarters to make sure the union staff knew about the situation.
After one week, management failed to respond to Eric’s request to remedy the unsafe working conditions. At this stage, Eric followed up with his field representative. NAPE field staff assisted Eric in filing a grievance to address the situation. Our union contract guarantees that all bargaining unit employees will be provided with a safe working environment. Within two work days, the Department resolved the safety concern by implementing Eric’s solution.
Eric did everything right in this situation. It’s extremely important to document and report unsafe working conditions like Eric did. By involving his union representative, Eric was also able to formally resolve the issue using the grievance process. It’s never too early to involve your union representative in the process. If you or a colleague are experiencing unsafe work conditions, reach out to NAPE today!