The Spark

the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist

“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx

Alice in Wonderland Had Nothing on This

Jun 16, 2008

OSHA law doesn’t allow for the criminal prosecution of a company when workers are injured on the job. Only when workers die can a boss be prosecuted under OSHA–and even then, the charge carries with it only a maximum sentence of six months in prison. For killing someone!

Some prosecutors, aching to see justice done, have prosecuted some cases as environmental crimes–when they can. When workers have been poisoned by chemicals on the job, the company can’t be criminally charged; but under environmental laws, sometimes they can be.

Laws protecting the environment are nearly useless–but as weak as they are, they’re infinitely stronger than those protecting workers.

Maybe the courts will find a company that injures workers guilty of criminal violations–if a pigeon got crushed in the process.