What's worse than keeping employees on the job during a natural disaster? How about doing that, knowing full well how dangerous the situation is—and sneaking out yourself before things hit the fan? Impact Plastics and its CEO, Gerald O'Connor, seem to have written the playbook on reckless disregard for human life.The company and its fearless leader have now been sued by the family of Johnny Peterson, one of their employees tragically killed during the floods caused by Hurricane Helene. According to the lawsuit, management allegedly forced workers to stay at the plant, ignoring the increasingly dangerous conditions. While businesses around them shut down and sent employees home, Impact Plastics thought it was a great time to keep their team on the clock.
And when did they finally decide to send workers home? After the parking lot flooded, power was lost, and the full brunt of the storm was bearing down on them. Too little, too late.
Johnny Peterson was one of 11 employees caught in the floodwaters. Five were eventually rescued, but six—including Johnny—didn’t make it home. One remains missing while the bodies of the other five have been recovered.
And just when you thought this story couldn’t get worse—rumor has it that while CEO Gerald O’Connor kept his employees pinned to their posts, he quietly slipped out of the plant before conditions became catastrophic.
Here's the kicker: The lawsuit alleges that Impact Plastics, located in a known flood zone, had no emergency action plan. Zero. Nada. But hey, gotta meet those order deadlines, right? For its part, Impact Plastics claims that it posted such plans around the plant months prior to the storm. O'Connor also says, "Employees were not told at any time that they would be fired if they left the plant."
To sum up: Prioritizing production over people? Check. No safety plan in place? Check. Leaving employees behind to face a deadly flood? Check.
Impact Plastics: Congratulations! You've earned your place as a nominee for the Worst Employer of 2024. You fled. Your workers stayed—and six never made it home.
And when did they finally decide to send workers home? After the parking lot flooded, power was lost, and the full brunt of the storm was bearing down on them. Too little, too late.
Johnny Peterson was one of 11 employees caught in the floodwaters. Five were eventually rescued, but six—including Johnny—didn’t make it home. One remains missing while the bodies of the other five have been recovered.
And just when you thought this story couldn’t get worse—rumor has it that while CEO Gerald O’Connor kept his employees pinned to their posts, he quietly slipped out of the plant before conditions became catastrophic.
Here's the kicker: The lawsuit alleges that Impact Plastics, located in a known flood zone, had no emergency action plan. Zero. Nada. But hey, gotta meet those order deadlines, right? For its part, Impact Plastics claims that it posted such plans around the plant months prior to the storm. O'Connor also says, "Employees were not told at any time that they would be fired if they left the plant."
To sum up: Prioritizing production over people? Check. No safety plan in place? Check. Leaving employees behind to face a deadly flood? Check.
Impact Plastics: Congratulations! You've earned your place as a nominee for the Worst Employer of 2024. You fled. Your workers stayed—and six never made it home.