Capitalism Contributed To Factory Workers Deaths In Kentucky And Illinois

Richard S. Dunn – December 17, 2021

The weekend of December 10th and 11th 2021, saw a reported 30 tornadoes hitting several States from Arkansas to Illinois, as of this writing 74 people are confirmed dead and several buildings severely damaged or totally demolished. All the cases of death and destruction are devastating; however, the most telling and unconscionable are the deaths of the 8 people in Edwardsville in Kentucky and the 6 in the Amazon facility in Illinois. What makes these two cases significant is that they most likely could have been avoided, but once again capitalism’s insatiable greed and gluttony is significantly responsible for these people’s death.

The Trade Union is the most effective tool the working class has in confronting and challenging capitalism in its attack on workers’ rights and quality of life. The tornado catastrophe  in Kentucky especially at the candle making factory and the Amazon facility in Illinois, re-emphasizes this point. The respective companies took advantage of the financial position of the workers, who because of the monetary incentive, put themselves at lethal risk. In post tornado interviews several surviving workers stated that the supervisors did not allow them to leave as warning sirens sounded; one worker was reportedly told by a supervisor that should they leave, they most likely would be fired.

The factory, Mayfield Consumer Products located in Mayfield Kentucky, was destroyed on Friday night December 10, killing eight workers of the one hundred ten on the night shift. The company is the 3rd largest employer in that part of Kentucky, and reportedly in its advertisement for workers, the company states that overtime is mandatory. Mayfield Consumer Products reportedly offers a starting salary of $8/hour which is 75 cents above Kentucky’s Minimum Wage. All this is against the background that the State’s Safety & Health Agency in 2019 fined the company $16,350 for 12 safety violations, seven of them labeled “serious.”

In Edwardsville Illinois six of the fifty workers on duty were killed mainly because of inadequate shelter preparations; workers reported that they were told to shelter in bathrooms. What is compounding the issue is that workers were prevented from taking their cell phones on the shop floor, but during the pandemic this Policy was somewhat eased at some facilities. In an area susceptible to heavy storms including tornados, the use of a cell phone is critical to  receiving storm and tornado warnings, and also communicating with family. The ban cell phone Policy is profit motivated, maximum production with scarce regard to safety. The facilities should not have been open due to impending severe weather conditions.

An ununionized workplace is fertile ground for employers to engage in oppressive and unsafe labor practices; make unreasonable work scheduling demands; offer low and disproportionate wages as it relates to task difficulty, often times not even close to the industry standards; minimal and inadequate safety training courses and worst, no proper recourse for filing and resolving working condition issues. Complain, and in numerous cases you are fired; plain and simple.

Because of wide exposure and struggle by workers and activists, The National Labor Relations Board have ordered a new election for the Amazon Bessemer, Alabama facility, because of  illegal and intimidating union-busting tactics used by Amazon prior to the election. From surveillance and the issuing of “vote no” merchandise, to placing Postal Service box at the site; Amazon had spared no tactic in attempting to thwart the will and the right of the workers to unionize. While the calling of a new election is appropriate, the bigger issue is that, not once in the history of the Labor Movement have any company been seriously punished for engaging in these illegal union-busting tactics.

More often than not these new elections end up in favor of the employers and this one is viewed with skepticism. The first one was tarnished so much with irregularities and intimidation from Amazon, that fear and mistrust can undoubtedly influence the new one in favor of Amazon. For years workers at the various Amazon facilities have been complaining about oppressive and unsafe labor practices, which have gone unaddressed. The recent deaths at Amazon and Mayfield Consumer Products are the result of capitalism’s insatiable greed and gluttony and unbridled drive for profits at all cost.

The profit motive of capitalism has no bounds to its arrogance and inhumanity. It is rooted in the most inhumane ideology and mode of production the world has ever seen; it is a system based on socialized production, but private accumulation of the benefits accrued, from the exploitation and dehumanization of the workers. The workers should not be forced or threatened with loss of jobs, or even fear of losing one’s job, by going home or to some place of safety, while severe storms are impending. The buildings should have adequate shelter areas constructed before being occupied, which has the potential of saving lives. Storms and Tornados are unpredictable in striking and intensity; however, warning and safety measures are available, and can be used to minimize material damage and especially loss of life.

After the dust has settled and the initial shock is abated, Mayfield Consumer Products and Amazon, may return to business as usual, oppressive working conditions and threatening life safety issues. Unionization is one of the first steps in breaking the back of unchallenged oppression and exploitation at the workplace. The ultimate solution to resolving the antagonistic contradiction between capital and labor is, public ownership of the means of production. Anything less is treating the symptoms and not the cause.

Richard Dunn can be reached at: contactatmakingitplain.net