Works Initiative News | Worker Wellness & Career Opportunities

Wellness & Well-being Highlights December 31

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of December 31, 2023

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics concerning an effort in the UK to bring people to together again via strategically-placed public benches to encourage and improve communications to how more employers are providing wellness benefits via AI (artificial intelligence) to how overachieving & overthinking can actually harm our physical and mental health. Today, I wish to shed some light on how, by next March, Canada may be providing medical-assisted death for their citizens with severe mental illness who opt-in. While some healthcare professionals are in favor of allowing people to die on their own terms with respect to intolerable suffering; others posit that the Canadian healthcare system is sorely underfunded when it comes to mental health which must be addressed since it is in high demand! One doctor indicated that it may be years before seeing improvement when treating complex cases. So, “hopelessness” plays a major role…as it does when it comes to suicide. However, it appears some safeguards are in place:

90-day wait period; and
Approval from 2 independent doctors (including a specialist in the patient’s condition).

If fully enacted, Canada will be one of less than a dozen countries around the world that permits this controversial procedure. To that end, the ethics involving “death by doctor” and “dying with dignity” continue to be debated and are certain to flow south onto the USA’s radar.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/27/world/canada/medical-assisted-death-mental-illness.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Lessons in Kindness

Grief / Compassion / Love

2024 Medicare’s MH Benefits

UK’s “Chatty” Benches

Employers / AI / Wellness Chatbots

Canada / MH / Medical-Assisted Death

Rotary / Narcan / Community

Canada’s threat to US: Fentanyl Labs

NYC & Housing Homeless

Tailoring donations & Homelessness

Outreach workers / London / Homeless Crisis

Genetics & Dementia

ALS & Hope

Why stimulate your Vagus nerve?

Back Pain & PR Therapy

A new treatment for Tinnitus?

Stop OVERdoing it!

Depression & Memory Loss

Update: RSV Vaccine

STL Emergency Contraceptives

Wellness & Well-being Highlights December 24

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of December 24, 2023

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics concerning a government report indicating that work-related overdose deaths increased by 13% in 2022 (from 2021…continuing the rise since 2012) to how smaller cities are confronting our country’s homelessness dilemma to how gun shops are beginning to play a vital role in suicide prevention efforts— putting time and distance between people in crisis and lethal means—by providing safe storage. Today, I wish to shed some light on the concept of NOT ABOUT US WITHOUT US. Hardly a week goes by where we do not hear or see another story in the media pointing to workforce shortages. Management 101 suggests that in order to obtain organizational cooperation, one needs to ensure that all stakeholders have input. This is why I point to Ireland’s “RU OK?” Program that addresses the mental health needs of their apprentices designed around “their” involvement. It is also good to see that informed and innovative young adults are not waiting for others to pave a better pathway as seen by the new Mental Health app recently developed by 2 teens. And, finally, we get a glimpse at how HOP (Human Organization Performance) safety principles are striving to establish a more proactive focus on employee well-being. Wherein, employees feel safe to seek help without fear of repercussions. In the end, this form of collaboration can contribute to safer and more productive workplaces…which leads to better retention…which creates an environment that attracts more workers!

Sources: https://merrionstreet.ie/en/news-room/news/minister_harris_and_the_apprenticeship_council_launch_r_u_ok_a_wellbeing_and_mental_health_initiative_for_apprentices_in_ireland.169921.shortcut.html

https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2023/12/18/two-minnesota-teens-create-new-app-to-address-youth-mental-health-crisis

https://www.ehstoday.com/health/article/21279553/a-collaborative-approach-to-substance-abuse-policies?o_eid=4597B7977223E4A&oly_enc_id=4597B7977223E4A&rdx.ident[pull]=omeda|4597B7977223E4A&utm_campaign=CPS231219023&utm_medium=email&utm_source=OZ+EHS+Today+Daily+Update

BLS Safety Data 2023 (1)

BLS Safety Data 2023 (2)

Wellness & Well-being Highlights December 18

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of December 18, 2023

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics concerning the rise of homelessness across the USA, in general, but more specifically regarding our Vets to how a prominent pharmacist promotes the crucial role NARCAN now plays in our country to how some common US military training exercises have not only been detrimental to soldiers’ brains but society as well. Today, I wish to shed some light on a recent announcement from OSHA that mandates ALL of their construction inspectors begin using Safety Helmets vs hard hats on job sites. As noted previously in this blog, according to the CDC (2016), from 2003-10, TBIs (traumatic brain injuries) made up nearly 25% of all construction fatalities…the most of ANY category! Let’s hope that by OSHA modeling this evidenced-based behavior others across the industry will soon follow. I personally thank the likes of Alberici, McCarthy, Milwaukee Tool, and ASCC for taking the lead on this key safety matter! Change always seems to bring about pushback…due to fear of the unknown. Over time, the industry has and will adapt not unlike it did for drug testing, safety glasses, safety vests, etc. As a retired Carpenter, speaking from experience, I wish hearing protection was mandatory and enforced +40 years ago.

Sources: https://blog.bluebeam.com/safety-helmets-hard-hats-construction/

https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/24824-osha-staff-switch-to-safety-helmets-from-hard-hats

https://www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/trade/12112023

US Homelessness hits New Record

Rise in Homelessness for Vets

MH services lacking in MO jails (1)

MH services in MO jails lacking (2)

Harry’s & Men’s MH

Seniors / Pickleball / MH

Book Bans / Librarians / MH

NYC / Teens / School ban on Cell Phones

NYC / Teens / Free MH app

How Ketamine alters the brain

UMSL / Addiction Team / Opioid Epidemic

Is NARCAN the new CPR?

Children / Fentanyl / Exposure Deaths

ODs in School

A mother’s journey to save her child

Safe disposal of unused medications

Opioids & Suicide

Opioid OD Victims’ 2^nd trauma: Being cheated out of lawsuit settlements

Older Men & Suicide

Living longer & Alzheimers

Postpartum Depression Treatment

On Giving & Care for Others

On Loss & Holidays

Is life expectancy increasing?

DANGER: Children & Melatonin

War Vets & Sexuality

Having a Mental Block?

Bragging about your career

Adults & Spirituality

Unions BIG wins in 2023

US steel & Back Pay in IL

Labor / Apple / India

Megafactories / Workers / Recruiting

AI & Energy Consumption

Educators go door-to-door

Gen Z & Trust in the Workplace

KC Builders Assoc New President

Wellness & Well-being Highlights December 11

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of December 11, 2023

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics concerning how suicide deaths increased in 2022—especially when it comes to elderly men—to the matter of the Sacklers bankruptcy move to protect their personal assets now landing before the US Supreme Court to how a small medical trial shows some promise for people who suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) by means of an implanted electronic stimulation device. Today, I wish to shed some light on the topic of PISA test scores. Earlier this week, the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development) released the findings from the Program for International Student Assessment in 2022. In general, this is a test that samples 15-year-olds’ subject matter knowledge (reading, science, and math) in nearly 40 counties across the globe. The OECD last tested students in 2018. Needless to say, COVID-19 is suspected to have played a large role in the decline in learning among most countries’ students with the exception of Canada, Estonia, and Japan (all of which saw improvement in each subject area). More specifically, while US students held their own when it came to reading and science their math scores decreased by 13 points (20 points is considered to be equivalent to a year’s worth of learning)…ranking the US 28^th out of 37. So, why is this topic important to us as an industry, community, or nation? Because experts suggest that math nurtures critical thinking and problem-solving skills…essential for children’s mental development. In essence, decreases in our students’ math scores may not only put our nation at a competitive technological disadvantage but can also result in overwhelming implications for mental health. If the pandemic has taught us a few lessons, one is that those in the workforce development space can no longer afford to silo hard skills and soft skills!

Sources: https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/pisa-2022-results-volume-i_53f23881-en

https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/pisa-2022-results-volume-ii_a97db61c-en

Children / War / Trauma

MH during the Holidays

2022: Record for Suicide Deaths

Guns & Suicide

Elderly Men & Suicide

MH / Pilots / License

Scotland & MH

Opioid Epidemic / Treatment / Racial Disparity

US Senate & Opioid Legislation

Addiction & Cinema

US Treasury on Fentanyl & Mexico-China

US Treasury on Fentanyl & Mexico

Sacklers / Bankruptcy / US Supreme Court (1)

Sacklers / Bankruptcy / US Supreme Court (2)

Sacklers / Bankruptcy / US Supreme Court (3)

Sacklers / Bankruptcy / US Supreme Court (4)

Sacklers / Bankruptcy / US Supreme Court (5)

Fentanyl / AI / Border Patrol

Are states striving to distribute Narcan?

ATL bars & Narcan

Canada & Narcan

Wellness & Well-being Highlights December 4

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of December 4, 2023

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics concerning how people can learn to grow after experiencing trauma (PTG) to the important roles that women play in the workforce to how AI (artificial intelligence) can serve both good and evil in our society. Today, I wish to shed some light on the topic of child labor. Have you ever considered to how our love for sweets—specifically chocolate—might fuel the child labor “industry” in developing countries? Sadly, one does not need to look overseas to find politicians and companies fueling this desire to exploit children…all in the name of cheap labor. Recently, the state of Florida placed into consideration the lowering of the legal age one can be to work on a construction job site. This is a flagrant violation of the federal rules under the FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) which prohibits 16-year-olds from performing tasks deemed too dangerous…like ROOFING. If one looks closer at the FL proposal (SB460), it does not take too much to uncover the bait-and-switch at hand. Wrapping this legislation in the need to address a worker shortage is nothing short of duplicity…furthermore, it comes at a very high price. One that Frances Perkins confronted over 100 years ago!* To suggest that minors with OSHA 10 certifications perform commercial and residential roofing work, as long as a worker who is 21 or older with two years of experience and the same certification supervises undermines both US-DOL safety and apprenticeship protocols long-established across the USA. Case in point, it takes a skilled roofer ~4 years to complete a registered apprenticeship program. Last I checked, current US child labor laws only allow for exceptions when someone under the age of 18—working in/around dangerous settings—be under CONSTANT supervision of a SKILLED tradesperson. So, once again, I ask: When will those who are trusted with the care of our future STOP putting profits over people?

Sources: www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/children-harvesting-cocoa-used-by-major-corporations-ghana/

www.constructiondive.com/news/florida-bill-minors-roofing-work/700823/

*https://www.osha.gov/aboutosha/40-years/trianglefactoryfire

https://rooferslocal2.com/apprenticeship.aspx

A Mom’s War Against Opioids

Combatting opioid ODs w/ Narcan

Pushing to mandate Narcan on US commercial flights

URGENT: We need YOUR voice!

MH / Hair Salons / Africa

MH & Lost Working Days

PTG: Finding Joy after Tragedy

Helping parents prevent childhood trauma

Questions for Childhood Trauma

Meta & Teen Vulnerabilities

Facebook & Pedophiles

Are Google’s abuse policies flawed?

Farmers / Pesticides / Parkinsons

Replacing Lead Water Pipes

Does cancer treatment cause cancer?

When women don’t work….

Women MH / UK / Prisons

An Eastern European Cold Remedy

Loss & Holidays

Coping w/ Loneliness

A Dopamine Detox

Exercise & Vagus Nerve

Forgetfulness & ST Memory

Dogs / Drugs / Longevity

Seniors & Affordable Housing

Why we fight about money?

Why do we seem so disconnected?

The Psychological Autopsy

Fighting ALS

Construction ULPs on the rise

Update: Portland Teachers’ Strike

Update: NYC Ballet Strike

Update: Granite City Steel Union

Child Labor & Cocoa

FL seeking to allow minors on Roofing projects

Update: McKee & STL Carpenters

DANGER: Impact of Air Traffic Controller shortage

As promised, UAW launches organizing drive

The passing of the 1^st woman US Supreme Court Justice

The cost of E-Waste

New Apprenticeship Programs for HC

AI’s first birthday

AI in the workplace

Wellness & Well-being Highlights November 26

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of November 26, 2023

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from a former First Lady’s groundbreaking work on mental health issues to how a mayor in Canada is tackling MH and homelessness at the local level to how companies and unions are re-considering the “usefulness” of PBMs (pharmacy benefit managers). Today, I wish to shed some light on the topic of The Alliance for Naloxone Safety in the Workplace (ANSW). Since last January, a team of construction industry subject matter experts, across the USA, have been designing and developing a database consisting of policies, training materials, resources, etc. to advocate for the safe bringing of Naloxone (Narcan) on construction jobsites nationwide. I am proud to say we just recently launched the website for your review and usage.* Rationale: As I have mentioned in previous blogs, the CDC indicates that this industry is #1 when it comes to opioids misuse! In fact, in 2020, NYC lost nearly 300 construction workers due to overdoses. By now, we ALL should have First Aid kits and AED devices on our jobsites. Why not Narcan? Please share this information with other sectors of our economy as you see fit. Thank you!

Sources: *www.ANSW.org

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/nyc-overdose-deaths-construction-new-york-city/699916/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202023-11-20%20Construction%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:56621%5D&utm_term=Construction%20Dive

The passing of a Mental Health champion

The impact of pollution

Vets & Toxic Exposures

Farmworkers / Cancer / Pesticides

Teen boys / Snapchat / Scam

Childhood Trauma

NYC / MH / System Breakdowns

Wellness & Well-being Highlights November 19

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of November 19, 2023

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics concerning how the gap has widen between men and women’s life expectancy (mainly due to the opioids crisis) to labor’s return of utilizing the Social Gospel to a plea for those of you over the age of 40 who played tackle football or soccer (at ANY level) to participate in a survey. Today, I wish to shed some light on the topic of the misconduct in our nation’s capital. Whether it is a Congressman misusing campaign funds for personal grooming or Congressmen pushing and stoving in the hallways or a US Senator challenging a witness to a fist fight during a recent hearing, I would say third-graders do not even act this immature…but that would be an insult to third-graders! A true leader leads by example. And, let’s not forget that leadership begins at the top. To this end, we have more than one US Supreme Court Justice who has played fast and loose with what is legal vs what is ethical regarding the taking “gifts” from “donors” whose cases may one day appear before them. Allowing this bad behavior to continue without establishing laws with severe consequences does little to invoke confidence in the large, lower echelon of our increasingly haves and have-nots’ society. Closing thought: What would have our forefathers said about those people entrusted with enforcing rules not being held to the same standard? Possibly: “…when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”*

Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/14/us/politics/supreme-court-ethics-code-clarence-thomas-sotomayor.html?searchResultPosition=2

*https://www.armytimes.com/off-duty/2018/07/03/why-did-the-us-declare-independence-from-britain/

Men’s Life Expectancy

Gender Disparities & Men

Wellness & Well-being Highlights November 13

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of November 13, 2023

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics concerning how hospital emergency departments are taking a more active role in addressing adult suicide issues to how thunderstorms may be linked to asthma to how the diving tactics of a specific fish may help researchers better understand the science of concussions. Today, I wish to shed some light on the topic of how unions helped establish the middle-class by raising incomes and improving the work environment. As noted in the lead article linked below, 80% of workers cited that their job satisfaction is associated to non-wage benefits. To this end, since the 1940s, unions have played a large part in securing fringe benefits for workers which, in turn, has improved the well-being of union (directly) and non-union (indirectly) workers and their families. Not convinced? Then, consider how the recent negotiations between the UAW and the Big 3 have positively impacted workers—here and abroad—at firms like Toyota, Honda, Subaru, and Tesla! More importantly, when it comes to workplace fairness, “Unions promote within-firm equality by adopting explicit anti-discrimination measures, supporting anti-discrimination legislation and enforcement, and promoting wage-setting practices that are less susceptible to implicit bias.”*

Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: moworksinitiative.org/blog

Sources: * https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/labor-unions-and-the-us-economy

https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/toyota-gives-most-of-its-u-s-auto-factory-workers-9-pay-bump-following-uaw-gains-in-detroit-123664ff?mod=Searchresults_pos3&page=1

https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/honda-gives-u-s-factory-workers-11-pay-bump-following-uaw-wins-in-detroit-eb484398?reflink=integratedwebview_share

https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/tesla-raises-wages-for-german-workers-amid-union-pressure-9f916fe8?reflink=integratedwebview_share

Women / Military / Power & Violence

MH / Deployed Troops / Evacuations

Vets / Injuries & Sexuality

Children / MH / Hospitals

ER Inventions & Adult Suicide

Honoring Jose’s work

OSHA’s bilingual Safety PSAs

HC workers role & Opioid crisis

Fentanyl-laced Mail

Raising MH issues via PSA

Friends / Industry / Community

T-storms & Asthma

Ketamine & Depression

Loneliness / Isolation / Death

Dogs & Longer Lives

Exercise & Sore muscles

Thai Chi & Mental Sharpness

On People Who Lie

SAD & DST

Labor unions & US economy

Update: Actors strike

Tesla / Germany / Wages

UAW & Foreign Plants

Honda’s Pay bump

Toyota’s Pay bump

Vegas hotel workers’ tentative agreement

Garment workers clash

On Presenteeism

Update: Pilot Safety

Reverse Mentoring

Hybrid work & New normal

AI in the Classroom

Vets / Loans / Foreclosures

Knowing when to retire

Update: Davis-Bacon lawsuit

Jim Kelly’s Career & Conversion

Bomb blasts & Impairment

James’s Story: Missouri Works Initiative

James was always curious about the trades, but wasn’t familiar with how to become an apprentice. “I had always thought you had to have a relative get you in,” says James, who was having trouble finding sustainable employment. “But, one day I was at a baby shower at the YMCA and saw a flier on the wall. I reached out, had an interview, followed up and got into the cohort.”

The diversity of the program really impressed James. Having the opportunity to familiarize yourself with each trade before making a decision really helped me make a confident choice. “I like that it teaches you about all 13 trades, you get to visit most union halls and talk with apprentice instructors, try a little dry wall, brick laying, virtual welding – it’s really hands-on. They help you prepare for the math aptitude test, provide interview training, and explain what to expect at the job site. They walk you through the unique culture and etiquette of the trades – how to conduct yourself professionally.”

After graduating the MWI’s Apprentice Ready Program, James is now an apprentice with the Sheet Metal Workers, and he couldn’t be happier. “I love it! It’s something that I look forward to every day,” James shares. “It doesn’t feel like work. It’s practical and easy to understand. The more you get into it and repeat the work, you just get better at it. I walked in really green, without much construction experience, but none of the workers gave me a hard time. As long as you show up eager to learn, they don’t judge you for that. It’s been great. I love it.”

Looking to the future, James is enjoying more stability, more money, and is looking forward to his future. “I’m able to provide insurance for my daughter and myself. I’m also engaged, so I’m looking forward to being able to provide insurance for my entire family,” he says. “It gives me so much to look forward to. Working with the journeymen gives me an idea of what my life will be like if I stick with it. They encourage me and tell me how much I can make. I’ve been committed to other things longer with less to show. Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel is a lot of motivation.”

If you are curious about the trades and are looking for a reliable, life-changing career, James wants to encourage you to take that first step. “If you are looking for a career that’s going to increase your income – as long as you’re ready to show up on time for the rest of your life, this is something you need to get into. If you’re ready to commit, sign up already!”

Start your journey here.

November 8, 2023/by Braxton Payne

Missouri Apprentice Ready Program, News, Success Stories

Jihu’s Story: Missouri Works Initiative

Jihu Yin recently immigrated to the United States in pursuit of better opportunities for building a brighter future. As English is not his first language, he began taking English classes at Fern Ridge ESL school, where his employment consultant recommended the Missouri Works Initiative’s Apprentice Ready Program to him.

“Because my work background is related to equipment, I decided to apply,” says Jihu. “I really enjoy the diversity. My mentor, Aurora, has encouraged us to practice almost all trades, and through practice, each of us can find the direction we hope to pursue. Moreover, the apprenticeship system provides every one of us with the opportunity to learn and progress. As our skills improve, our wages will increase, and each of us in the program can see hope for our future.”

After completing the program, Jihu has become an apprentice with Plumbers and Pipfitters 562. “Through this project, it can be said that my career choice in life has been ultimately determined. I have not only improved my professional skills, but my language skills have also been improved by interacting with my colleagues day by day, and I am very grateful for their patience. Secondly, I have a normal income, my credit is constantly improving, and I am proud to have a tax record. I was also able to take out a loan to buy an apartment, which are all benefits this project has brought me.”

If you are also new to the United States, Jihu encourages you to explore career opportunities with the Unions through the Missouri Works Initiative Program. “I want to say to others who are considering this project, don’t hesitate. This union is a warm family. After joining this project, your life will become more stable and your personal rights as an employee will be protected through your union and union representatives. As long as we work hard, each of us will have a decent life. At the same time, we will also contribute our own strength to the entire society through the union.”

Start your journey here.

November 8, 2023/by Braxton Payne

Wellness & Well-being Highlights December 31

Wellness & Well-being Highlights December 24

Wellness & Well-being Highlights December 18

Wellness & Well-being Highlights December 11

Wellness & Well-being Highlights December 4

Wellness & Well-being Highlights November 26

Wellness & Well-being Highlights November 19

Wellness & Well-being Highlights November 13

James’s Story: Missouri Works Initiative

Jihu’s Story: Missouri Works Initiative

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