General Motors' Adoption of Smoke-Free Policy in All Ingham County Plants/MI

The Center for Social Gerontology ^ | 5 July 2002 | Jim Bergman

[SheLion]

General Motors' Adoption of Smoke-Free Policy in All Ingham County Plants Hailed by Smoke-Free Environments Law Project of The Center for Social Gerontology.

The Center for Social Gerontology (TCSG), based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and its Smoke-Free Environments Law Project hailed the actions of the General Motors Corporation in adopting a total ban on smoking in all its Ingham County, Michigan plants and facilities, effective August 5, 2002.

Jim Bergman, TCSG Co-Director and head of the Smoke-Free Environments Law Project said: "General Motors management is to be highly praised for announcing the adoption of a totally smoke-free policy in all their Ingham County auto plants. Having worked very closely with the Ingham County Commissioners and Health Department on the adoption of a county-wide smoke-free worksite regulation, which was enacted on February 12, 2002, we at the Smoke-Free Environments Law Project are aware that General Motors could have sought permission to create designated smoking areas in their plants. Instead, they have opted to 'adopt a wall-to-wall no smoking policy' which applies to 'all employees, contractors and visitors,' effective August 5, 2002.

This is a tremendous victory for workers - old and young - whose health was threatened by secondhand smoke in General Motors facilities, a number of whom sought help from our Smoke-Free Environments Law Project in recent years. We also commend the Ingham County Health Department for their work with General Motors on this policy."

"The adoption by General Motors of a total ban on smoking in its Ingham County facilities is huge - for GM workers and in its implications for all businesses. This action by General Motors shows that corporations of any size can adapt to smoke-free policies and that union members - most of whom are not smokers - will accept such policies for their own health and the health of their co-workers. We hope and expect that other corporations will follow the lead of GM in adopting smoke-free policies," stated Bergman.

To access a copy of the General Motors smoke-free policy online, go to http://www.tcsg.org/sfelp/images/GM.jpg To access a copy of the Ingham County smoke-free regulation, go to http://www.ingham.org/BC/adoptedsmokingregulation.PDF

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The Center for Social Gerontology (TCSG), was founded in 1972 as a nonprofit, research, training and social policy organization, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Smoke-Free Environments Law Project (SFELP) is a statewide project of TCSG which provides information, consultation and advice for businesses, local units of government, and individuals in Michigan on policies and practices to protect employees and the general public from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke and to address the legal requirements and liability issues related to secondhand smoke.

For comprehensive information on this topic, go to the web site of the Smoke-Free Environments Law Project at http://www.tcsg.org/sfelp/home.htm.

[SheLion]

And who did the documentary? A liberal media source? Did they get you to buy thier propaganda?

~sigh

It was the HISTORY CHANNEL. duh

[SheLion]

Why cant they terminate fat people? Anyone 10 pounds overweight is fired.

THAT will be next! Then the obese will be crying the blues to US!

[RedBloodedAmerican]

I used to smoke, fyi.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Lung cancer, if it is not metastasized from another location in the body, can come via two sources; second hand smoke and asbestos. Check your facts.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Precisely.

[Great Dane]

Their plant, their rules. Don't like it - Walk.

But why wouldn't you say the same for restaurants and bars. ??

[Great Dane]

Lung cancer, if it is not metastasized from another location in the body, can come via two sources; second hand smoke and asbestos. Check your facts.

Or just breathing the "FRESH AIR" outside, what with all the pollutants.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Not according to my oncologist ;)

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Actually the State of Washington is a non-smoker in restaurants. Kinda nice, actually. And airlines who have dropped smoking on flights have saved millions on maintenance costs due to not having to deal with the tar and nicotine in the aircraft.

[Great Dane]

Not according to my oncologist ;)

Thats just too funny.

[SheLion]

Lung cancer, if it is not metastasized from another location in the body, can come via two sources; second hand smoke and asbestos. Check your facts.

Can you believe this nightmare? Good thing he doesn't live in northern Maine where we heat our house with wood every winter for the past 20 years. Good hot heat, but my God, is it dirty. Smoke? Everytime we open the furnace to feed it more wood, the smoke blows out. Good thing he doesn't have to be around this, eh?

I love going out in the night air up here in the winter. And take a deep breath from all the wood fires. It smells heavenly.

He must live a sad life in the summer too, but not barbequing. I sure would miss that smoke, wouldn't you?

And how about camp fires. Sad, sad man........I do pity him.

[SheLion]

And airlines who have dropped smoking on flights have saved millions on maintenance costs due to not having to deal with the tar and nicotine in the aircraft.

I used to work for the airline industry. Their filters are 100% dirtier today then when they used to allow smoking. Once again, Hot Blooded is right off the mark.

Since they cut out smoking on flights, they "thought" they could then cut back on the fresh air. But it's been proven that the filters in the planes are twice as filty now. Once again, he is dreaming.

[proud to be breathing]

I have a number of rental units. When we have vacancies, we say in the ad NO SMOKING. Why? Because after 22 years as a landlord, no one ruins a house faster than smokers. You have to paint all the walls, scrub every suface, usually replace the carpets, and on and on. I know of no other landlord of any scale in my area who allows smokers. They are pigs, and their habit is unbelievably destructive to MY property. Smoking has become to large extent a class issue also. Besides college age kids who smoke as a fashion statement, it is extremely rare to find high achieving, college grad professionals who smoke. The demographics of smokers is heavily skewed to working class, and minority populations. When the high tech firm I work for banned smoking in the early 80's, the only ones affected were the secretaries, janitors etc. Not one mid to upper level person in our firm smokes,(admittedly it is a small company). Frankly, I don't think they would hire a smoker at this point in time. And you know what, it's a privately held firm, and it's their damn right to hire who they want.

[SheLion]

They are pigs, and their habit is unbelievably destructive to MY property.

I'm very sorry you feel that way. However, it's your property and you have every right to do with it as you see fit.

What upsets the majority of us is when the Boards of Health, City Councils and the Government go into a place of business and force them to adopt a ban. It truely should be left up to the owner.

That is your right. I am just saddened that you are lumping all of us under the word "pig." That is really uncalled for.

How do you handle heavy drinkers? And how often do you have to replace a toilet from an obese renter? Or do you live in the land of perfect.

Do you rent to couples with kids? Pets? People in general can be pretty destructive, if they have no manners. I think you just have a big dislike for smokers....but like I said: This is your right.

[HarryDunne]

I think you just painted a bull's eye on your forehead.

[LloydChristmas]

It is a shame that the GM smokers will now have to work a full shift like their non-smoking co-workers. I just hate that the smokers will not be able to spend 40% of the work day smoking outside on a loading dock in the alley while discussing Nascar, Mullets, Ho Ho's and Britney Spears.

[SheLion]

It is a shame that the GM smokers will now have to work a full shift like their non-smoking co-workers. I just hate that the smokers will not be able to spend 40% of the work day smoking outside on a loading dock in the alley while discussing Nascar, Mullets, Ho Ho's and Britney Spears.

That's not fair! When an employee is busy at work, there is no time for smoke breaks. Too many smoke breaks, that means there is not enough work.

I worked with a big fat man at one time. I smoke. He was just obese. I could run circles around him. When I was busy, I never thought about taking a smoke break. But when work slowed down, I was able to run outside for a quick break.

[proud to be breathing]

I have two families with dogs right now. I usually have no problems with pets, my main problem with dogs has been when they bark all the time and the neighbors get pissed at me. I have never had heavy drinkers, though I have had a junkie, a murderer, a retired marijuana pilot/importer and fortunately booted out some tweekers the day they were moving in. Kids are great. I had a house with two clinically obese couples (unmarried and cohabitating, maybe that should have disqualified them - just joking), and they ended up being the biggest pigs (they also lied to me and told me they were'nt smokers, when they were) I have ever had. They left 113 papa johns pizza boxes, 22 monitors, a couple dozen towers and printers, and basically all their garbage, when they left. I also try to avoid male college students (sex discrimination, but girls tend to be much more responsible)

[hunter112]

I'm certainly glad that no one smokes in offices anymore. Some of the younger workers (early 20's) look at me incredulously when I tell them that back in the mid 1970's, smoking was everywhere in the office environment. Whether or not it kills the non-smoker (I believe it does some physical harm, but I'm entitled to my "delusions" as the smokers would put it), it is a direct annoyance to many people. While I didn't mind it too much, unless directly downwind, I realize that it is quite irritating to many people. Obesity is a cultural like or dislike, there is no physical component to finding a fat person annoying, just because of their size (I guess this doesn't apply to airline seating, but most folks have a bit more room than that at the office or the factory floor.)

I agree that this company should have phased out the smoking more gradually, the suddenness of it invites the comparisons to totalitarianism, but smokers have had about 20 years to see the trend. It was not unforseeable that what happened in the supermarket, the baseball stadium, and the downtown office building would not also come to the local manufacturing plant.

[SheLion]

Well, I do respect your decision to run your apartments the way you want. It IS your property afterall. We just hate it when the GOVERNMENT steps in to ORDER someone how to run their business. Know what I mean?

Your business - your rules. And I respect that. (Barking dogs are the WORST! ack!) :)