Southern States Millwrights were among the first workers to answer a contractor’s call for assistance in mid-April, after a tornado struck and severely damaged a Seneca, South Carolina, facility that is the sole manufacturer of transfer cases for some Ford, Toyota, and Fiat Chrysler trucks and SUVs.

“We got that job manned in a matter of hours,” said Logan Brown, director of the SSMRC’s Eastern Region. “Eleven millwrights and nine carpenters jumped on the opportunity and showed up the next day. When you call people at 5 p.m. and ask them to show up at 7 in the morning, and they do, it testifies to the professionalism of millwrights.”

While parts of the plant were still undergoing repairs, BorgWarner employees resumed work on May 4. Ongoing repairs at the plant are expected to employ five SSMRC millwrights through at least mid-November of 2020.

Read more about the project here.

The SSMRC and UBC Millwrights are supporting Safe + Sound Week, a nationwide event held each August to recognize the successes of workplace health and safety programs and offer ideas for keeping America's workers safe.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the rate of worker deaths and reported injuries in the United States has decreased by more than 60 percent in the past four decades since the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act was passed. This is due in large part to employers implementing safety and health programs.

However, every year, more than 5,000 workers are killed on the job (a rate of 14 per day), and more than 3.6 million suffer serious job-related injuries or illnesses.

See the tips below for how you can help support safety and health programs at the jobsites where you work.

Understand that workers benefit from safety and health programs. Parts of your job, such as working with tools and machinery, from heights, and around electricity, are inherently dangerous, but an effective safety and health program can greatly minimize risks.

Read your employers' health and safety programs. Every employer you work for should provide you with a written copy of its program.

Know your responsibilities under safety and health programs. Your employer should train you to understand how the safety and health program works and how to carry out the responsibilities assigned to you under the program.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. If you don’t understand any portion of the safety and health program, ask your supervisor for clarification.

Help improve safety and health programs. Point out hazards and make suggestions whenever something comes to mind. Share any information and experiences that could be beneficial to management. OSHA states workers should be able to communicate openly with management and to report safety and health concerns – or suggest improvements – without fear of retaliation.

Learn more about Safe + Sound Week here.

All of your financial decisions and activities have an effect on your financial health and your ability to reach personal-finance goals. So where do you start when trying to improve your financial fitness?

This article from Investopedia breaks things down into five broad personal-finance rules that can help achieve your financial aims. The rules are:

After Congress failed to agree on a new coronavirus-relief package before extra unemployment payments under a previous plan expired July 31, President Donald Trump signed four executive actions on Aug. 8 that call for extending some enhanced unemployment benefits, taking steps to stop evictions, continuing the suspension of student loan repayments, and deferring payroll taxes.

Trump authorized an extra $400 in weekly unemployment insurance benefits, but payments could take weeks to reach people and could be less than the full amount. States, which are responsible for providing $100 of the $400 payments, likely will have to set up new systems for administering the aid because the federal portion will stem from funds allocated for natural-disaster relief. States are not allowed to use their current unemployment systems for benefits authorized outside of Congress. Funding for the executive action, which could face legal challenges, is projected to last four to five weeks.

Meanwhile, a stimulus bill from Congress is still possible.

To learn more about unemployment benefits under the executive action, see these articles from Fortune and CBS News.

To see state-by-state COVID-19-related restrictions in the South, click here.

The Harvard Global Health Institute has released a tool that allows you to see a COVID-19 risk rating of green, yellow, orange, or red for the county where you live. Click the map above, then hover over a county for detailed information.

You can register at Vote.gov by clicking the button below, or you can register in person at your state or local election office. You might also be able to register at a motor vehicle department or armed forces recruitment centers. Check with the specific location first. Learn more about voter registration at www.usa.gov/register-to-vote.

If you aren't comfortable voting in person, apply for an absentee ballot.

Voting by absentee ballot is safe and secure. Each state has its own rules about who can vote absentee, but many states have expanded eligibility because of the coronavirus. Applying for an absentee ballot at vote.org/absentee-ballot takes only 2 minutes.

The SSMRC has begun sending communications related to pro-union legislative action. The SSMRC forms partnerships to help pass labor-friendly laws and give council representatives access to the table to discuss how our members could be assets to major projects. Our council also supports pro-union candidates (from both political parties) running for state, county, and local offices.

Some labor issues we discuss with candidates and legislators include right-to-work laws, health and welfare benefits, unemployment-insurance programs, prevailing wages, workers’ compensation, workplace safety, tax fraud in relation to construction projects, and apprenticeship standards.

To stay informed regarding legislation and elections that could affect workers' rights and union job opportunities, please text CIVICS to 877-62-SSMRC (877-627-7672).