![UAW official Wayne Blanchard discussed the many manufacturing plants in Ohio and Indiana which pivoted during the pandemic to make hand sanitizer and ventilators. [Summit County Board of Elections]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/044f034/2147483647/strip/true/crop/960x960+0+0/resize/840x840!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fimages%2Fnews%2Fnpr%2F2020%2F09%2F910624229_1395637364.jpg)
Ohio union leaders marked Labor Day with a call for better conditions for workers and a new website to help them secure work safety, especially during the coronavirus pandemic.
Wayne Blanchard, assistant UAW director for Ohio and Indiana, was among those participating in a virtual roundtable. He pointed out that many manufacturing plants in this region had made materials for healthcare workers and the public during the pandemic.
Blanchard on auto workers and coronavirus production
“We got Local 1588 in Delaware, Ohio – it’s a PPG facility. They started [making] hand sanitizer down there, because we had a shortage of hand sanitizer in the United States. Local 292 in Kokomo, Indiana, is a GM facility. They converted over in three weeks to build ventilators.”
Along with the virtual Labor Day event, the AFL-CIO unveiled a new website, titled “ Am I Safe At Work?,” which details how workers can advocate for safer working conditions amid the pandemic.
Ohio Education Association President Steve DiMauro called on everyone to start with something simple: wearing a mask. DiMauro on wearing a mask
“It’s not about politics; it’s about honoring our neighbors. Especially those healthcare workers, and people that are now working at our schools as they’re starting to open, and people who are working in transportation and in our grocery stores and all across our economy. If we’re going to build the economy back better, we have to make sure that we get this virus under control.”
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