“Them guys said he was dripping in sweat. Them guys said that guy was asking for water,” said Teamster 667 Union Chief Maurice Wiggins. “He did walk to produce a couple of times to cool off, and that’s where he ended up passing at, in the produce section on the dock in front of all his coworkers.”
Union leaders demand change following Kroger employee death
Submitted 1 year ago by jimmydoreisalefty@lemmus.org to workreform@lemmy.world
Comments
jherazob@kbin.social 1 year ago
RVGamer06@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Thanks
Sharkwellington@lemmy.one 1 year ago
I hate that the heat is seen as something you can just tough out without proper breaks. A body can only take so much.
ElderWendigo@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
His supervisor and those in charge of writing this policy at Kroger should be charged with manslaughter. In the heat we’ve been dealing with, especially this summer, limiting breaks in which a worker can cool down and hydrate is aggressively cruel and obviously deadly. A worker can’t will themselves to overcome basic thermodynamics. Workers should always feel empowered by support from their direct supervisors to take breaks when they need them, regardless of company policy. I don’t care if some jerk abused the system once, no company’s profit is worth a life.
ConfuzedAZ@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Most legal action will not involve the direct supervisor, and it probably shouldn’t. A direct supervisor could have stepped in here and possibly made a difference. However, the idea that a direct supervisor will by design know when to violate company policy in order to safeguard an employee is not feasible… The company managers and those who are responsible for implementing state laws for protecting employees need to be held accountable. Direct supervisors should be documenting the policy issues that are a problem, and helping the union stewards to get the policies changed. In a perfect world… Unfortunately most companies hate working with unions and managers are too removed from the issues that are harming employees. The current system sucks.
AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I kicked people out of my kitchen because they weren’t sweating enough (first sign of potential heat stroke) over a decade ago. I can’t imagine not giving people breaks in this heat. And food service doesn’t have “required breaks,” which is why I made people take them.
BartsBigBugBag@lemmy.tf 1 year ago
INCOMING HUGE QUOTE THAT THIS COMMENT REMINDED ME OF:
But first, context. You know if these guys had just refused to work in unsafe conditions they’d be in violation of their contract and get fined. But the people making them work in these conditions get nothing.
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-Michael Parenti, transcribed by hand from a random speech
Diprount_Tomato@lemmy.world 1 year ago
If those every 2 hours breaks were every hour, that life could have been saved