Two funerals in one week at Sterling Stamping Plant: Part 1
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Last week, family, friends and coworkers laid to rest two autoworkers from Stellantis’s Sterling Stamping Plant north of Detroit.
Terry Garr’s casket
Crane operator Terry Garr, 57, died in the hospital the night of Wednesday, April 21, after a fatal accident, which occurred during a die set. Two days later, millwright Mark Bruce, 62, passed away after a fight with the coronavirus. Both were needlessly sacrificed on the altar of corporate profit.
The deaths of these two men are tragedies. Both men leave behind countless loved ones and friends, who had expected to spend many more years with them.
As workers mourn death of Sterling Stamping worker Terry Garr, few facts made public
Workers expressed shock and sadness following the death of Terry Garr, age 57, of Shelby Township, a veteran crane operator at Stellantis Sterling Stamping plant in the north Detroit suburbs Wednesday evening. Garr died in an industrial accident when he was crushed by a heavy die toward the end of his shift.
Sterling Stamping workers rack inner door panels as they roll off the line (Stellantis Media)
Few facts have been made public regarding the circumstances of the tragedy. According to Sterling Heights Police Lt. Mario Bastianelli, a worker was using a stamping press when it seemed to shift the weight load. “The initial investigation shows the worker was lifting the press machine with a crane and apparently the weight shifted and fell on the employee, Bastianelli said. Garr died later at an area hospital.
Crane operator crushed to death at Stellantis Sterling Stamping Plant in suburban Detroit
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On Wednesday, crane operator Terry Garr died in an industrial accident at the Stellantis Sterling Stamping Plant north of Detroit. The death was acknowledged earlier on Thursday in brief statements by Stellantis and the United Auto Workers.
Sources from inside the plant reported to the
World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter that Garr was crushed by a heavy die towards the end of his shift. This was confirmed later in the evening by a police report obtained by the
Detroit
Free Press.
Employees at Sterling Stamping Plant remove a minivan roof after it has been stamped in a 180-inch Transfer Press (Stellantis Media)