In December, Labor Radio reported on the deaths of workers who were kept at corporate facilities during a string of deadly tornadoes that hit the Midwest, including six workers killed at an Amazon facility in Edwardsville, Illinois. In January, the family of one of the workers killed has filed a lawsuit against Amazon. Jack Casciato is a partner in the Chicago-based Clifford Law Offices and represents the family of Austin McEwen. Casciato describes the case he and his clients have filed against the retail giant.
This week, a report by investigators for West County Fire and EMS was released to the public, claiming that support columns in the part of the building that collapsed in Edwardsville were not bolted or welded to the floor, but were instead resting in holes packed with caulk. Casciato commented on what he sees as the significance of the report.
Amazon recently gained local government approval in our listening area to build a 3.4 million square foot distribution facility in the Madison suburb of Cottage Grove, taking up an estimated 145 acres in all. Labor Radio asked Casciato if he knew if problems found at the Illinois facility had translated to other Amazon facilities.
That was attorney Jack Casciato of Clifford Law Offices, who represents the family of a worker killed at an Amazon facility in Illinois last December. Casciato and his clients are seeking a jury trial in Madison County, Illinois, the site of Austin McEwen’s death.
Reporting Courtesy of Greg Geboski for Labor Radio
Image Courtesy of Joe Piette on Flickr
