Tragic Workplace Death of an Undocumented Worker in NYC

[RamboLiberal]

A young Guatemalan immigrant was crushed to death when he fell into a mixer at a Brooklyn tortilla factory early Monday, police said.

Juan Baten, 22, tumbled into a waist-high tub that was mixing dough at the Tortilleria Chinantla factory on Grand St. in Williamsburg, police and his wife said.

Cops say security video from the plant shows the victim reaching into the mixer, as if to grab something, and being sucked in, police said.

-----

She said he had been working at the factory without legal documents. He earned minimum wage, but worked long hours so he could support their budding family.

"He worked six days a week, nine hours a day," she said. "He didn't complain; he liked his job."

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/01/24/2011-01-24_worker_at_brooklyn_tortilla_factory_crushed_to_death_after_fall_into_mixing_mach.html


Egan-Chin/NewsJuan Baten, 22, a factory worker (pictured above with his wife and baby) was killed this morning when he fell into a mixing machine.

One of those tragic stories that haunted me today.

[TheMadMonk]

1. I doubt that his "undocumented" status, has much to do with the incident.

These sort of "accidents" happen as a result of idiotic workplace practices, generally "taught" by old hands in a monkey see, monkey do kind of way.

Management's guilt is often rather passive, inasmuch as they simply overlook crap that works and gives an extra point or two of uptime on the lines. Until some poor SOB fails to "get away with it one day" or that SOB failed to notice that when he "saw it done" the first monkey didn't just reach in and pull an obstruction free, but used his fist to knock it loose first.

[Liberal_in_LA]

3. American citizen would not be working as many hours

[TheMadMonk]

4. Six by nine is pushing the friendship, but realistically it is not particularly...

...excessive a workload. Many more work harder and longer hours still.

He may have gotten away with it a hundred times before. He may have made a mistake on his first attempt. He did a stupid thing and he unfortunately paid the ultimate price.

The sad thing is, in most workplaces, the risk he was avoiding was not to his job, but simply being the focus of any negative attention, including quite possibly his work mates who are missing out on productivity bonuses while his machine isn't feeding theirs.

I do not know how many times I have heard the words, "We've got to get it done now." when I suggest first fetching a piece of equipment that would make the job far easier. I won't say I'm not a corner cutter altogether, but I bet against my skills not my pooper valve.

[dflprincess]

5. 9 hours/day 6 days a week is not excessive?

Maybe a 100 years ago.

It is excessive and it's a sad comment on what's happening to this country that anyone would think it's not.

You know in France they have a 35 hour work week?

[TheMadMonk]

6. And we have a 36-40 hr work week here in Australia.

However, it is not unusual for people here to voluntarily work longer hours for the extra pay.

Admittedly our minimum wage is a bare living wage at 36 hrs. (about 500 per week)

AND salary earners just about everywhere are simply expected to put in whatever hours are demanded.

10+ hour days there (plus take home) are not at all unusual in a lot of countries, mine AND yours included.

I did say it was pushing the friendship, I simple don't believe those hours are all the way beyond the pale. Your wages on the other hand stink hand down in the developed world.

[dflprincess]

9. I know our work hours are becoming longer

I'm salaried and feel lucky the rare weeks when I work 40 hours.

But just because it's becoming the norm, doesn't make it right.

[TheMadMonk]

10. Here in Aust, it's been "normal" for at least twenty years for the sallried.

But until recently when the American CEOs were moved in, sallaries tended to be pretty bloody decent, so extra hours are not begrudged.

And our unions enjoyed a hell of a lot more power here for quite some time. Even now they remain far from powerless.

So OT still pays very well, time and a half for first 2 hours then double time. We get shift loading in most industries. And higher loadings still if rotating. And we still enjoy holiday loading in a lot of industries. Though the tripple time for Easter Saturday (normal day between two public holidays) is sadly a perk now past.

In my job, we have a nice negotiated little perk, and when we're men down on the crew, the remaining members get their hours, even though it is rare we ever go home late.

How are the crowns holding up there darl? :evilgrin:

I think we almost have the right blend of capitalism and socialism here in Australia. But we're rapidly losing it too unfortunately under the influence of outsiders on both sides of the pacific.

[sufrommich]

11. That's a pretty common work week for a U.S. auto worker

when times are good.

[Mojeoux]

7. The "Undocumented" matters because

a workplace that uses illegal labor is way more likely to have sketchy safety standards.

[RamboLiberal]

8. +1 Exactly why I Posted

A workplace that is skirting labor laws is also extremely likely to skirt safety rules as well. And an undocumented worker is the least likely to complain.

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. sad. RIP