<html><head><style type='text/css'>p { margin: 0; }</style></head><body><div style='font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000'><P>Great work, Karen!</P>
<P> </P>
<P> </P>
<P> </P>
<P><BR><BR> </P>
<P>
<HR id=zwchr>
</P>
<P><B>From: </B>"Karen Medina" <kmedina67@gmail.com><BR><B>To: </B>"Peace-discuss List" <Peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net>, "Sarah Lazare" <sarah.lazare@gmail.com>, "Ricky Baldwin" <baldwinricky@yahoo.com>, occupyCU@lists.chambana.net<BR><B>Sent: </B>Saturday, February 4, 2012 12:39:02 PM<BR><B>Subject: </B>[OccupyCU] Flex-N-Gate flier revisions / full-text / link to google doc pdf file / where to look for more information<BR><BR>RE: Flex-N-Gate flier revision<BR><BR>I received a few suggestions for the Flex-N-Gate flier and think they<BR>are all great changes. The main suggestion was to borrow a line from<BR>the Jobs With Justice letter of support and put that line in our flier<BR>as well, so I added the following sentence, "We are hopeful that<BR>Flex-N-Gate will respect workers’ rights and become a strong force for<BR>creating the good, stable jobs that our community so badly needs."<BR><BR>The newest version of the flier is in google docs:<BR>https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwsZd30sPyMUNDg1ZjljNjYtMWJmOC00MjFjLTgyZjgtMzhhNmE3ZTNhMjkx<BR><BR>If you want any more information on the issues:<BR>Justice At Flex-N-Gate is a good source: http://justiceatflexngate.org/<BR>United Auto Workers: http://www.uaw.org/story/together-we-win<BR>OSHA's hexavalent chromium:<BR>http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=17052<BR><BR>----- And now the full-text of the flier reads: ----<BR><BR> Support Flex-N-Gate Workers<BR><BR>In early December 2011, workers at Flex-N-Gate’s Guardian West plant<BR>in Urbana, Illinois, filed complaints with the U.S. Occupational<BR>Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) alleging more than 30<BR>violations of OSHA standards intended to protect against unsafe<BR>working conditions at the plant. At this plant, the employees use<BR>chemicals like hexavalent chromium for chrome plating of the bumpers<BR>they produce.<BR><BR>[“The company has never told us what chemicals we are breathing and<BR>getting on our skin, or how they can make us sick.”]<BR><BR>According to OSHA, workers exposed to hexavalent chromium, a powerful<BR>lung carcinogen, can develop lung cancer and damage to the nose,<BR>throat and respiratory system. Inhaling the chemical's fumes can cause<BR>allergic reactions or asthmatic symptoms, such as wheezing and<BR>shortness of breath.<BR><BR>[OSHA requires that workers must know the proper way to perform a task<BR>in order to minimize their exposure. Employers are required to provide<BR>appropriate protective clothing and equipment. The employer must not<BR>allow any worker to remove contaminated objects from the workplace.<BR>The Cr(VI) standards also include requirements for change rooms,<BR>washing facilities, and eating and drinking areas to minimize<BR>exposure.]<BR><BR>The workers have called OSHA several times to report health and safety<BR>violations at the plant. As a result they have been facing reprisals<BR>by the employer.<BR><BR>The owner of Flex-N-Gate, Shahid Khan, is a major donor to the<BR>University of Illinois. Khan owns the Urbana Country Club, is<BR>Chairman of Flightstar aircraft management and charter, and now also<BR>owns Florida’s Jacksonville Jaguars.<BR>The local plant is not unionized.<BR><BR>We are hopeful that Flex-N-Gate will respect workers’ rights and<BR>become a strong force for creating the good, stable jobs that our<BR>community so badly needs.<BR><BR>If you would like to sign onto a letter in support of the employees,<BR>email Jobs With Justice (rbaldwin@seiu73.org or dlj725@hughes.net).<BR><BR>[Flex-N-Gate Corporation employs over 12,450 people at 50<BR>manufacturing and 9 product development and engineering facilities<BR>throughout Canada, the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and<BR>Spain. And takes in $3 billion in revenue.]<BR><BR>[The Guardian West plant in Urbana is 138,000 sq. ft. They do metal<BR>stamping, mechanical assemblies, and chrome and nickel plating.]<BR>_______________________________________________<BR>OccupyCU mailing list<BR>OccupyCU@lists.chambana.net<BR>http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/occupycu<BR></P></div></body></html>