this post was submitted on 01 Oct 2024
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One worker said Impact Plastics managers would not let employees leave, which company denies

Several employees at a plastics factory in eastern Tennessee were killed during Hurricane Helene or are missing, amid warnings that the storm’s current death toll of more than 130 is likely to rise substantially as subsiding floodwaters allow rescuers to search through the wreckage.

Impact Plastics confirmed there had been fatalities at its plant in Erwin but did not say how many people had been killed. The company said there were missing and deceased employees as well as a contractor.

...

Jacob Ingram, a mold changer at the company, told the Knoxville News Sentinel that as the flooding started, managers instructed employees to move their cars away from the rising water -- but would not let them leave. "They should've evacuated when we got the flash flood warnings, and when they saw the parking lot," he said to the newspaper. "When we moved our cars, we should've evacuated then ... we asked them if we should evacuate, and they told us not yet, it wasn't bad enough.

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[–] EmpathicVagrant 125 points 1 month ago (5 children)

If you’re in danger from humans, fire, or disaster I don’t give a shit if you might lose your job.

Leave.

[–] SpaceNoodle 130 points 1 month ago (1 children)

They were threatened with loss of their livelihoods, and disinformed of the risk to their lives.

[–] [email protected] 53 points 1 month ago (12 children)

Moreover, loss of income before winter is a death sentence.

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[–] Frozengyro 41 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Totally. My wife works in a skyscraper and they had a fire on the 6th floor and were told not to leave while the firefighters investigate. She's on the 25th, so I told her to leave anyway until they can clear the fire. Why risk it? By the time the FF arrive and clear it, it could be too late with people flooding the stairwells to get out.

[–] EmpathicVagrant 23 points 1 month ago

Exactly. If firefighters need to check it out, I’m taking that as a reason to distrust the structure.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 month ago

Live to sue another day.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago

That's part of the issue. I don't think many people thought the hurricane was going to cause the damage it did until it actually happened.

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[–] cccrontab 62 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Another win for greed, capitalism and the American way!

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 month ago

If you think you aren’t just a number. Remember this day.

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[–] betheydocrime 62 points 1 month ago (1 children)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xYfH8nftFpw

Here's an interview with a survivor. It is infuriating.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod 8 points 1 month ago

I wonder if Terry was okay during the storm, since it took him ten fucking minutes to call back to say they were allowed to go home.

[–] [email protected] 59 points 1 month ago (2 children)

NBC news had an article that not once mentioned that employees said they were not allowed to leave. Just that the company said what the company said publicly. Totally pro-corpo.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/hurricane-tennessee-deaths-plastic-factory-rcna173351

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Holy crap, I didn't believe you until I read this.

I hope future Google searches for Tavleen Tarrant and Suzanne Gamboa show this comment. Those journalists are disgusting scum of human beings. I would be ashamed to work at the same company as them.

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[–] Gammelfisch 43 points 1 month ago (2 children)

In this case, I hope the family members and employees file a massive lawsuit against Impact Plastics.

[–] [email protected] 36 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It wouldn't surprise me if the business is leveraged so that any lawsuit, while successful, would be like squeezing blood from a stone.

And unless they can pierce the corporate veil, the CEO can't be held personally liable.

God, I fucking hate corporate personhood.

[–] AliasAKA 15 points 1 month ago

I think in this case an argument could be made for personal culpability, and I for one hope they are charged with manslaughter.

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[–] [email protected] 37 points 1 month ago (2 children)

My siblings live in an area affected by Helene, and I thank fucking god the one that works in a warehouse has the Gen Z attitude of “get fucked lol” when it comes to employers.

When the worst of the storm was coming through the stance of county 911 was that if you call they’re not coming unless someone is about to die. And yet some of these companies expect people to risk their lives to show up for $10-15 an hour? It’s insane.

I understand why everyone can’t just tell their employer to go fuck themselves, it’s just a horrible situation if you ever find yourself in the position of having to make the call of, ‘do I lose my job for what may or may not be a genuine emergency?’

[–] Gammelfisch 19 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Red States like cheap labor with the life is cheap attitude.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That's why they're "pro birth" because they need more bodies to fill the meat grinder.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago

pro forced birth.

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[–] Fedizen 31 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Hopefully what's left of the business is sued into the ground for such willful negligence

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 month ago

Not enough. The people implementing that kind of work culture need prison time.

[–] BradleyUffner 29 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It's just going to get blamed on whatever mid level manager relayed the instructions.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

"Use your best judgement." WINK WINK

If the manager had sent everyone home and the factory wasn't destroyed, they'd get fired for it.

[–] scripthook 29 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (8 children)

Your life is more valuable than your livelihood. Idk why in anyone’s right mind would even be there during a hurricane

[–] Spaceballstheusername 41 points 1 month ago

The thing is you never expect it to get so bad that you might die it's more like you think you'll be stuck at work overnight or something like that and unfortunately it's not worth losing your livelihood over having to spend a night at work. Unfortunately by the time people realize how bad it is it's usually too late.

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 month ago (1 children)

At least they died making a line go up in the bank account of some rich people who already have more than enough money than they know what to do with.

[–] pivot_root 10 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

The line must always go up.

And by line, I mean ladder. Pulled up by the people who got in early or had nepotistic connections. While they tower above us and demand we run inside a hamster wheel for the privilege of being alive.

Oh boy do I love our currently-fucked society.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Name for shame. I only find "plastic factory" and "company"?

People should know where they don't want to work.

[–] Astronauticaldb 30 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It's in the body of the post; the company is called Impact Plastics.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

Ah, thanks! Didn't see that.

[–] InverseParallax 14 points 1 month ago

The south. You don't want to work, or live in the south.

They didn't pass right to work because they love workers.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 month ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 month ago

113 years ago the Triangle Waistshirt Factory Fire also killed a fuckload of people... and the owners got off scot-free.

[–] InverseParallax 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Not capitalism, just the south.

They never got over losing their slaves, first they kept going with Jim crow and the KKK, then right to work meant they could treat poor white people bad too.

[–] andros_rex 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

"If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you." -LBJ

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[–] Xenny 16 points 1 month ago

This is literally some triangle shirtwaist shit

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago (1 children)

What loyal employees they would rather die if it means helping their company profit this is who you should to look to for guidance.

[–] TrueStoryBob 30 points 1 month ago

When you're the one in the household with the job that makes actual money, threats of "leave and your fired" can make you do unreasonable things. This irrationality can only be alleviated by collective bargaining and unionization... the employees standing up and saying "nope, there's a flash flood predicted tomorrow, we're not going to be coming in." Remember, these folks are working hard for a wage; their bosses and the owners are making the real money off their labor. All that matters to the company is the profit that could be lost if they shuttered one day for safety's sake.

Shutting the factory down for a little rain and wind? That could effect output and the bottom line... can't have that... I'm gonna need you to put your life at risk for our wealth or you can start looking for other work. Work that might not pay this well/have health insurance and other benefits you family needs to survive. Everyone who lives through it gets a pizza party!

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Will they be personally accountable for that faulty decision?

[–] InverseParallax 9 points 1 month ago

We have performed a detailed investigation and determined the responsibility was entirely the fault of 2nd junior line supervisor Ricky, who was hired last week and has been fired.

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[–] PriorityMotif 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

When I worked at a shop we always joked (/s) that toolboxes had wheels on them so if the shop ever catches on fire we can just roll tf out and find new jobs down the street.

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