Court bucks trend; convicts bosses
1985Carrie Hewitt 1985-08Read it in the scan (PDF at ETOL), page 4 →
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4 SOCIALIST ACTION AUGUST 1985 CHICAGO-In a remarkable court ruling here that is being widely hailed as a victory in the struggle for safer working conditions, two corporate executives and a plant foreman were found guilty of the murder of a worker poisoned on the job.
On June 28, after an eight-week bench trial, the three officials of the now-defunct Film Recovery Systems, Inc., were each sentenced to 25 years in prison for causing the death of Stefan Golub, a 61-year-old Polish immigrant. Golub collapsed and died while working over tanks of cyanide employed to recover silver from used photographic film.
The unique murder trial represents the first time that corporate executives have personally faced criminal charges stemming from hazardous plant conditions. Consumer advocate Ralph Nader predicted that the guilty verdicts, if upheld on appeal, "will send signals to corporate executives who have been exposing workers or consumers to dangerous materials or dangerous products."
Witnesses stated that the cyanide fumes were so thick at the plant that workers suffered chest pains, dizziness, and nausea on a daily basis. One former worker stated that special safety masks were distributed to workers only oncewhen the company was expecting a visit by safety inspectors.
The company went to great lengths to hide from its workers just how dangerous the work was. Skull-and-crossbones labels were burned off cyanide containers, according to one worker. Witnesses said that even after Golub's death the company claimed that he was recovering in the hospital.
Most of the workers at the plant were Hispanic and Polish immigrants, who spoke little, if any, English. A large number were undocumented workers who could not afford to complain about working conditions.
The guilty verdicts, if upheld, may give the green light for other indictments against blatant corporate violators of health standards. It appears unlikely, however, that even a small upsurge in the number of such prosecutions will improve the safety conditions