On July 21, reports spread throughout the labor community that 12 Ironworkers from Local 22 in Indiana had been fired for refusing to work more than 8 hours with temperatures in the high 90s and a heat index of 115 degrees.
Sadly, just four days later, TheIndyChannel covered the death of a foundry worker resulting from the same 115 heat index environment. In this instance, the employer does not appear to have reported the death:
A southern Indiana man who collapsed while working at a foundry died of a heart attack complicated by extreme heat, the Bartholomew County Coroner's Office said.
Charles Hulse, 50, of North Vernon, collapsed while at his work station at CE Systems Inc. in Columbus on Thursday.
Bartholomew County Chief Deputy Coroner Larry Fisher said Hulse was on medication for hypertension and high cholesterol. He had started feeling overwhelmed by the heat, but had taken a break in a cool room before returning to work.
The Republic reported that the death was ruled from natural causes. Temperatures reached the mid-90s that day, with a heat index of about 115 degrees.
The Indiana Department of Labor is investigating the circumstances of the death at the foundry that makes iron castings for heavy equipment manufacturers.
"We'll take a look at everything from the workplace itself, where the employee was doing the work, what type of work the employee was doing," said Stephanie McFarland, spokeswoman for the Department of Labor.
The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration said companies are required to report workplace fatalities to the state within eight hours, but Hulse's death was not reported until Monday.
The aforementioned Ironworkers were put in a tough spot when the 12 fired workers, at least one of whom suffered kidney failure and spent three days in the hospital, were replaced with members of their own union. In the end, though, all appears to be well:
"The boss over there told us if we left at eight hours, we were fired. So everyone stuck together. We went home. I came back Thursday morning. They told us we were fired,” said Thomas.
Other workers from the Iron Workers Local 22 were then called to job. Thomas said that created some hard feelings between members.
"Some of the guys that were over there that lost their jobs kind of gave these guys a hard time for going and taking that job,” said Thomas.
But he said the situation was resolved after the men talked at the meeting at the union building in Lafayette. The men who were fired will pick up different jobs and the union is moving on.
"Everyone was able to air their differences,” said Thomas. “I think we're back to being a brotherhood."