speak out for safe job

On Workers Memorial Day, Local 237 remembered the late New York City Housing Authority Caretaker J Toni Jackson, who died March 7 while performing her duties at Coney Island Houses. The Medical Examiner’s report said that Jackson, 31, died of a heart condition, a natural death. But, the examiner’s report contradicts physical evidence found in the investigation conducted by Local 237, including a head wound that indicates a work-related accident may have occurred.

President Gregory Floyd cited a malfunctioning hoist car, tracks and cage that Jackson was using inside the garbage-compactor room at the time of her death, which, he said, “created a dangerous workplace.” Floyd called for an independent autopsy and investigation by the Brooklyn district attorney. “The family wants answers; they don’t know what to think,” said Floyd. The cause of Jackson’s death could determine whether her survivors would be eligible for compensation.

A separate report, released May 6 by the Department of Investigation takes the middle road between the conflicting findings of the Medical Examiner’s and Local 237’s investigations. The DOI report says that the hoist, which works like a dumbwaiter, is unsafe and may have fallen on Jackson’s head, but backs off from blaming the equipment, saying instead that the “DOI does not have independent forensic pathology expertise” to prove the garbage hoist caused Jackson’s death. Jackson’s head was wedged underneath the hoist when she was found in a kneeling position, according to witness accounts cited in the DOI report.

A separate work-related death occurred the day before Workers Memorial Day. On April 27, Ana Charle, director of the Bronx Boulevard Men’s Shelter, was shot to death by a former shelter client. Charle, 36, was an advocate for the homeless and served the shelter since before it opened in January 2014. She was not a Local 237 member, as are the special officers who work in city shelters. Charle is survived by two daughters ages 9 and 11, and a brother.

The evening she was murdered, Charle headed to her car near the shelter after work where the 39-year-old suspect, West Spruill, assaulted and shot her when she tried to escape. He is charged with murder. The city has increased funding to address security concerns at the men’s shelter.

Every year we commemorate all workers who lost their lives or have been injured on the job. Workers can help increase safety and health on the job. Local 237 encourages members to be alert to hazards and report them immediately to their supervisors and to Diane Stein, Local 237 Health and Safety coordinator, at 212-924-2000.

 

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