Michigan Disaster Cleanup Workers Reach Confidential Settlement Over COVID Safety Concerns
A lawsuit filed by disaster-recovery workers in mid-Michigan alleging hazardous conditions and inadequate COVID safety measures during early pandemic cleanup work has been resolved through a confidential settlement. The case, which involved over 100 workers hired to clean up after the May 2020 dam failures and flooding in Midland County, claimed that defendants failed to provide proper protection, training, and social distancing measures.
The lawsuit accused disaster-recovery companies of putting workers at risk by housing them four to a hotel room with shared beds, transporting them in crowded vans, and requiring daily indoor briefings without adequate safety protocols. Workers were allegedly told to remain in Michigan to isolate or quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 but received inadequate guidance and were later terminated.
The settlement resolves allegations of negligence, wage and sick-leave protections violations, as well as other state and federal claims. The terms of the agreement remain undisclosed. John Philo, executive director of the Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice, stated that the outcome sends a message that worker safety must be prioritized, particularly during public health emergencies.
"This case represents a major step forward for resilience workers who often face hazardous environments with limited power to speak up," Philo said. "It affirms that companies responding to disasters must prioritize worker safety." The settlement is seen as a crucial victory for workers' rights and has sparked calls for industry-wide change to protect disaster-recovery workers in future emergencies.
The lawsuit, which was represented by the Resilience Force and other organizations, aimed to uphold the right of all workers to health and safety at work. Saket Soni, executive director of Resilience Force, expressed hope that the settlement would drive meaningful industry-wide change: "We hope this outcome drives meaningful industry-wide change to protect disaster-recovery workers in future emergencies."
A lawsuit filed by disaster-recovery workers in mid-Michigan alleging hazardous conditions and inadequate COVID safety measures during early pandemic cleanup work has been resolved through a confidential settlement. The case, which involved over 100 workers hired to clean up after the May 2020 dam failures and flooding in Midland County, claimed that defendants failed to provide proper protection, training, and social distancing measures.
The lawsuit accused disaster-recovery companies of putting workers at risk by housing them four to a hotel room with shared beds, transporting them in crowded vans, and requiring daily indoor briefings without adequate safety protocols. Workers were allegedly told to remain in Michigan to isolate or quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 but received inadequate guidance and were later terminated.
The settlement resolves allegations of negligence, wage and sick-leave protections violations, as well as other state and federal claims. The terms of the agreement remain undisclosed. John Philo, executive director of the Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice, stated that the outcome sends a message that worker safety must be prioritized, particularly during public health emergencies.
"This case represents a major step forward for resilience workers who often face hazardous environments with limited power to speak up," Philo said. "It affirms that companies responding to disasters must prioritize worker safety." The settlement is seen as a crucial victory for workers' rights and has sparked calls for industry-wide change to protect disaster-recovery workers in future emergencies.
The lawsuit, which was represented by the Resilience Force and other organizations, aimed to uphold the right of all workers to health and safety at work. Saket Soni, executive director of Resilience Force, expressed hope that the settlement would drive meaningful industry-wide change: "We hope this outcome drives meaningful industry-wide change to protect disaster-recovery workers in future emergencies."
. i mean, housing them 4 to a hotel room with shared beds is just not right 
. and being told to isolate but then getting terminated after testing positive is lowkey messed up 
. glad they reached some kinda settlement tho 
. hope it brings some change to the industry so no one else has to go through that 
The world is full of suffering, but it is also full of the overcoming of it. 
! And being told to stay in Michigan after testing positive for COVID-19 and then getting terminated? That's literally heartless 
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! I feel like this is going to make a difference and change the way disaster recovery companies operate in the future. We should all be proud of these workers who stood up for their rights 
. It's so true! Workers deserve to feel safe on the job and have access to good healthcare. This settlement is a major step forward for that 
.
! On a more serious note, it's good that there are organizations like the Sugar Law Center and Resilience Force fighting for workers' rights and worker safety 
. Still, it's a major step forward in prioritizing worker safety, especially during public health emergencies 
.
. And then they gotta take public transportation, crowded vans? That's just asking for trouble 
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. There are tons of other workers out there who might not be as lucky, but at least now they know that someone's listening 
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?! I mean, 100+ workers affected and they're just giving them a settlement without even disclosing what's in it 
. But seriously, it's about time someone stepped up to the plate. As someone who loves a good layout (tbh, I'm a total formatting nerd 
), I think we need to rethink how disaster recovery companies handle their workforce 
I'm so glad they finally got a resolution to this! These guys were put through hell and back during those cleanup efforts. It's disgusting that they had to share hotel rooms and be crammed into vans like that. No wonder they're still suffering from PTSD and whatnot. 
Companies gotta step up their game when it comes to worker safety, especially in emergency situations. Hope this settlement leads to some real change for the industry 
. And they're still not getting the help they need after testing positive for COVID-19? That's just wrong. I hope this settlement changes things for future disaster recovery workers so they don't have to go through what these guys did 
. These guys were literally put in harm's way by companies just trying to get the job done ASAP 
. Four people sharing a hotel room? Are you kidding me?! 
They need to take responsibility for their actions and make sure these workers are protected, especially when it comes to public health emergencies like COVID-19 
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. It's unacceptable that they had to deal with inadequate guidance after testing positive, too... 
. These workers deserve better protection and support. Industry-wide change is a good step in the right direction 
- those cleanup workers went through a lot and it's insane they were expected to sleep four to a hotel room with shared beds during COVID... that's just gross 
this is such a huge deal for all those workers who went through so much during that pandemic cleanup work...housing them 4 to a room with shared beds?
it's about time something gets done for those poor cleanup crew members! I mean, you put people in a hotel room with shared beds and then expect them to deal with COVID on their own? 
. We need more cases like this to make sure companies aren't putting profits over people in times of crisis