VPPPA Congressional Outreach

April 9, 2019

The week of April 1^st, Rick Thompson, Pattern Maker for Clow Valve’s Metal Casting Facility accompanied Maureen Kamphaus, Clow’s Health & Safety Manager at the VPPPA’s National Board meeting and Congressional Outreach in Washington DC.Day one they attended the VPPPA National board meeting. This provided an opportunity for the board to hear how VPP provides a value to the organization from the perspective of the hourly worker. Rick mentioned the pride he and his fellow workers feel when they walk under the VPP Star banner hanging from the ceiling of the Metal Casting Facility and how that inspires them to look out for their safety and that of their co-workers.  

Rick delivered the same powerful message on days two and three on Capitol Hill speaking with congressional aides seeking the support of codification of VPP within the OSHA standard. At the present time funding of cooperative programs such as VPP is discretionary. With codification OSHA would by law have to fund VPP thus assuring the protections provided through the VPP program to the American worker for generations to come.

While on Capitol Hill the duo spotted a Kennedy hydrant near the Rayburn legislative office building, an Amerex fire extinguisher in the Dirksen Senate office building and a Clow Eddy hydrant in front of the Library of Congress.