DC Laborers Join Hersey Protest Over Unsafe Work

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Several metro DC- area laborers union workers trekked up to Hershey, PA on Tuesday to join a protest of hazardous working conditions at an old Hershey Chocolate factory. Workers hired by Maryland-based Asbestos Specialist Inc. (ASI) to do demolition and asbestos remediation work have reported that ASI supervisors have endangered employee health and public safety by failing to comply with asbestos removal regulations. "We are not covering anything, the workers are working with no respirators, and the asbestos is all over the place,” said one ASI employee working on the project. As they picketed in the snow, the DC workers exchanged stories with their Hershey colleagues about worksite health hazards at different ASI projects, including lack of sufficient respiratory protection and incorrect asbestos removal and handling practices. Despite repeated complaints, the union says neither ASI, Hershey or project general contractor Kinsley Construction have responded to worker complaints. - screen shot from CBS 21 report