'My son was worked to death' ( The Korean branch of a U.S. company)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2006/09/04/200609040036.asp



The Korean branch of a leading U.S. multinational company may face a lawsuit after an intern died from a heart attack while working late at the firm.

The father of the intern, identified by his family name Moon, told The Korea Herald that he will file a lawsuit seeking damages.

Saying his son was fit and healthy, Moon said the heart attack was caused by overwork and stress from the competitive internship. "I'm preparing a lawsuit. The company has been very cold about the accident," he said.

The firm said it believes the young man's death is not an industrial accident, saying he worked there for only 17 days.

FULL story at link above.

[Horse with no Name]

1. While I don't doubt that this COULDN't happen

A fit and healthy young adult should be able to tolerate hard work and stress for more than 17 days.
Cripes...during the winter in my late 30's I worked 16 hour shifts 4-5 days a week because of flu and understaffing.

[undergroundpanther]

3. stoicism

Is exactly what rich exploiters of labor LIVE for. If you think working those long shifts make you somehow better as a person,did you ever ask why you did that and what you could have been doing if you had a choice,and were not afraid of bills etc. If you had to work those hours or else that is extortion.If an OR ELSE looomed over you, you were being indirectly,or maybe directly extorted for your labor with no concern on how it may impact your life or health.. The rich WILL work people to death wherever the rich can get away with it.With American workers and that dumb"puritan work ethic" being proud of doing long shifts no vacation ect..they set themselves up to be willing to be worked to death as if that was a good thing. Look at all the sleep disorders, stress disorders..rich people don't suffer that way,so why should WE? for the benefits for the rich,suffer,deny ourselves rest and leisure and work,work,work,our own lives away?

[Horse with no Name]

4. Cherry picking.

I said 17 days.
If this 26-year old man dropped dead from a heart attack in 17 days, it was likely caused by an unknown heart defect, not the job.

[WhiteTara]

13. do I detect shades of Dr. Frist?

at least he had the advantage of a video. ;)

[Horse with no Name]

14. You know what?

Notwithstanding you are a smartass--but I am a nurse.
Sometimes seemingly healthy people just drop dead from heart defects they never knew they had and guess what?
It's nobody's fault.
People die everyday.
It's not always the "big bad corporations" fault.
If they guy had worked there for years--hell even months...keeping up a pace like this, then sure.
But 17 days? Good fucking God.
Anyone of any reasonable fitness can do just about anything for 17 days.
You want to talk about Dr. Frist?
Talk to yourself BECAUSE you are diagnosing that the corporation DID cause it--again without the benefit of a videotape.
A saying about glass houses comes to mind.

[WhiteTara]

15. I didn't say the corp killed the guy, but

did I get a little to close to home? I'm sure you're an excellent nurse, but neither were you there, so slow your horse down.

[acmavm]

2. Sheesh, talk to any single working mother. I wish it was 17 hours a day.

P.S Does anyone here know when I get weekends off? How much time to I have to put in before that happens? Or vacation? Real vacation.

:sarcasm:

[undergroundpanther]

5. Workers got to get some solidarity

And get some human rights from the soft petulent hides of these rich pieces of shit. Make the rich earn thier keep too.Demand respect as a human being OR ELSE from these bloated arrogant thug companies.

[acmavm]

7. I surely hope that's possible. Can you imagine a world where Cat

Killer Frist's kid is a member of the ruling class?

[Javaman]

8. I totally agree with you...

This legalized form of slavery has to stop. People working those hours, aside from those peoples health, has been shown to be statistically to be bad for production.

At the end of the day, when the final numbers are added, it far is more efficient and cost effective for a business to hire two people working two 8 hour shifts than it would to work a single person 16 hours.

It never fails to amaze me, that corporations miss this proven fact. Having a healthy and happy work force always contributes to a more productive work environment.

This stupid ass 18th century work mentality has to go.

There is nothing to be proud about having to work 16+ hours day. That kind of immature "bragging rights" does nothing but empower the corporations and diminish the workers rights.

[cobalt1999]

6. I'm sure they could find people worked to death...

but I highly doubt it's this guy. No young fit heathly man should die from office work and stress after 17 days. I suspect this guy wasn't as healthy as dad probably thought. Can't blame the company for this one.

[BklnDem75]

11. Too early to assume...

that the company's not at fault. What were his hours? Double shifts? Triple? I can imagine 20 hours a day for 17 days straight might do harm to most. What kind of boss did he have? Did he have a Bolton clone for a boss? In a tight job market, those with the keys to your future will work you like a horse. It's reaching to assume that the victim wasn't healthy and the company wasn't at fault at this time.

[gulfcoastliberal]

9. I didn't the Koreans were into Karoshi, seeing as how they hate Japan.

But I guess they're trying toprove they can work so hard that they drop dead at their jobs, too.

[bleedingheart]

10. A college job counselor told me that a student killed himself as a result

of an internship.

The student went to work for a very famous consulting firm here in the US.

The young man was so distraught over how he was being judged by the people in charge of his internship that he killed himself. The poor kid thought he was a failure.

As a result of how he and other kids who worked for this famous company were treated the college no longer allows them to take interns or interview on campus.

This conversation came about because I commented on how ruthless that company was and how I had interviewed for them years before...

[Bonobo]

12. In Japan, companies regularly pay families for "karoshi" (death by work)