Tropicana Products / QTG / PepsiCo / Tammy Pearson, HR / Gene McCormick, Suprv / Harry Kantor, Mgr / Paul Carr, Dir Of Ops / Wendel Butler, Pres. Teamsters Local 173 / Robert Tuttle, Bus Mgr. Safety issues are not addressed on a timely basis / profit motivated production takes precidence / multiple notifications are ignored until OSHA recordable accident / ignored the rule of the five Ps I learned in the USMC reserve PLC training at Quantico, Virginia in 1972 Bradenton Florida

I found this forum while conducting a search for up to date materials to post in my department communication / safety board. I volunteered to maintain this locked cabinet recently since there were postings that were obsolete from nearly four years ago. Tropicana Products does not have a very efficient monitoring system to support the desimination of relavent materials to its labor force. Oh sure there is CCTV sometimes working in the break rooms in some of the departments. Its news is screened and filtered to be very lite in the newsworthy department. Most of the information comes from some subcontracted service which probably also sells the non copywritten music you might hear riding an elevator to visit your doctor. You will never see anything sponsored by the Teamsters Local 173, though numerous requests have been made to administration officials. The local lockup at Port Manatee probably has the same level of control on its population. Take a hint Paul Carr, lighten up, stop being so advisarial against the Union.

The point of this forum posting is to collaborate information relavent to the lack of support and followup to employees of this facility by their supervisors and human rescource personnel. On numerous occasions before and after I volunteered to participate on the safety committee, I have observed the discouraging effects that leave our teammembers with a very low moral and sense of purpose as employees of Tropicana Products. This reflects poorly upon the Division supervisors representing QTG (Quaker, Tropicana, Gatoraid) and ultimately falls upon the PepsiCo officers located in Purchase, NY. Why do we have such a poor support "chain of command" when it comes to addressing safety issues? Is it because OSHA has been weakened by the present national political administration located in Washington DC? Is it because the State budget is so cut back as a result of the current dip in the economic conditions we face daily? Could it be that our Union representatives are asleep at the switch and do not care about their members wellbeing?

I am not sure what all the contributing factors have led us to this state of affairs. But I do know first hand how issues of safety have been negligently addressed by my supervisor, Gene McCormick and the HR representative for my department, Tammy Pearson time and time again.
An appeal to the next person responsible for our department condition would be Harry Kantor, Manager of Palletizing/Packaging. He reports to a new director across the street in the administration complex, but used to be under the direction of Tom Sanders. Mr. Sanders has transfered to the west coast (California) to work with the Neaked Juice subsidiary as a part of PepsiCo.

The safety department which I volunteered to participate to try to address issues frustrating my coworkers meets for one hour once a month. The communication between other members of the safety department seems to be adequate for a small ( 20 people ) working committee. But it's a common theme which borders on the absurd that every month the list of defective reports grows longer and longer with very little progress demonstrated unless there has been an OSHA reportable accident claim in the emmidiate area. Then like magic, almost overnight things just change. What's going on here, who are they trying to fool? Certainly not the employee who now has suffered pain and suffering and loss of wage as a result of the administrative negligence.

Could I be making this stuff up??? For confirmation why don't you do a quick search for the last round of OSHA fines ponied up by the Tropicana Products. As I recall reading about it in the local Bradenton Herald (business.bradenton.com) the total of some 10 investigations was over $60,000.00 Why not contact the Teamsters Local 173 business agent, Robert Tuttle or the President, Wendel Butler for total disclosure? The Union office is located at 824 26th Avenue East , Bradenton, FL 34208 Phone number is 941-747-2971 hours of operation between 7:00 am to 5:00pm Monday thru Friday. The next general membership meeting will be conducted at 4:30 pm on Wednsday this month ( September ) and is not an open public gathering but could reap some good interviews for investigative reporters willing to dig a little deeper into the culture and disrespectful climate presently at Tropicana Products. Please help us turn this condition around by public exposure and debate within the community. Now is not too late to get involved! Don't be complacent with "the way things are" or "don't rock the boat" mentality fostered upon the laborers by Big Business like PepsiCo. Their stock holders are looking for profit at any cost but should that cost include permanent disability or death by the labor force? I disagree that change is not going to happen here at Tropicana Products. If I have anything to do with it. Please contact me at this forum for your support. I will check for postings nightly and promise to followup.

Robert
Bradenton, Florida
U.S.A.