Recorded presentation

Emily Bourcier, MPH, MHA, Evaluation Team, Group Health Community Foundation, 1730 Minor Ave., Suite 1500, Seattle, WA 98101, (206) 287-2035, bourcier.e@ghc.org, Roger Valdez, MA, Tobacco Prevention Program, Public Health-Seattle & King County, 999 3rd Avenue, Suite 900, Seattle, WA 98104, David Pearson, PhD, Center for Community Health and Evaluation, Group Health Community Foundation, 1730 Minor Avenue, Suite 1500, Seattle, WA 98101, and Allen Cheadle, PhD, Department of Health Services, University of Washington, Box 354804, Seattle, WA 98195.

Given their mutual interest in protecting worker health, public health and labor movements are potential allies in a number of areas, yet there are few examples of labor unions and local public health departments working together effectively. This presentation describes a successful partnership between Public Health–Seattle and King County and Hotel and Restaurant Employees Local 8. The partners, with assistance from the Group Health Community Foundation Evaluation Team, have collaborated to identify new strategies to address issues in the work environment that matter to workers and management, and to reduce the risk of secondhand smoke to the hospitality industry. Through successful cooperation with management in several large, hospitality organizations (e.g. hotels and food service vendors) in Puget Sound, the partners assessed employees’ attitudes toward smoking bans and exposure to secondhand smoke, hazardous chemicals, physical workload, ergonomic problems, and work disability. Presenters will discuss 1) strategies to find common ground between public health, labor, and hospitality organizations, to accomplish change within structures that reinforce loyalty to narrow functions, 2) methods for collecting information in a diverse workforce, 3) preliminary study results, and 4) challenges and potential solutions for relationship building, recruitment, and data collection methods.

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