Ethical Evaluations About Doe Run

Ethical Evaluations About Doe Run Company

The Doe Run Company headquartered in St. Louis Mo in North America is a global scale company enjoying leadership position in mining, smelting, recycling and metal fabrication businesses. The company's units in Missouri, Arizona and Peru unify every phase of metal production and provide the basis for the development of a lot of products important to the present trends of living. The company is committed to maintain leadership position in the world of metal industry. Central to this commitment is because as the company claims as it is a low-cost producer and to support its customers, employees and their families and the society. (the Doe Run Company: Who we are)

Doe Run is N. America's leading integrated lead producer and the third largest total lead producer in the globe. Moreover, the company salvages and recycles in excess of 1, 50,000 tons of lead every year from products such as batteries as well as telephone cables. Apart from these metals, the company produces zinc, gold, copper and also silver. To have an understanding of the metals mined by Doe Run Company and their estimates, please refer appendix. The Company has a workforce of 4,000 across the world, out of which 1,200 are employed in the United States while its fifth division is located in Peru. The units of Doe Run are equipped with advanced technology optimizing efficiency which manufactures pure products all through. Its factories offer the latest automation in order to optimize recovery of metals from the ore while its recycling capacity is most superior on the technology front, environmental aspect and is the safest of its category in the world. (the Doe Run Company: Company Backgrounder)

It goes without saying that every ethically responsible company must show carefully regarding the manner in which its main business affects the communities in which it functions and the manner in which it is able to guarantee practices which are good from the ethical and economic point-of-view. This implies comprehending, evaluating and taking steps for the welfare of employees, legal and political actualities, impact of environment, cultural considerations, and religious and moral urgencies. However recently, the Doe Run Company has been facing flak from media personalities and sections of the Catholic Church and other Christian organizations for its unethical activities. (Utopian solutions vs. real corporate social responsibility)

2) What does Doe run company do to negatively affect environment?

The Doe Run Company has been hauled up several times for increased levels of lead emissions from its smelter plants that are close to residential areas. Records reveal that the company produced almost more than 28 tons of lead emissions during 2005 - a level that was similar to the previous year. Remains of lead have been discovered in the soil throughout the river Illinois. Even though the quality of air improved since 2001, however the data on quarterly emissions went beyond the National Ambient Air Quality Standard of 1.5 micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air close to Broad Street that recorded a five fold increase since January 2005. The Environment Protection Agency -- EPA has discovered high concentrations of lead on some of the streets of the city exceeding the permissible limits. (Doe Run's Legacy Lingers)

EPA has given a directive to the company to tidy up the mine tailings site in Leadwood, stating that negotiations have been unsuccessful in producing a settlement. Remains of contaminated mine waste known as tailings or chat has been moving ahead for several years from the 560 acre site in eastern part of Missouri's Old Lead Belt through wind and storm water erosion. Major part of the site belongs to Doe Run which has resulted in contamination of the nearby residential properties with zinc as well as lead. In the opinion of EPA, for every 100 pounds of rock that is mined, just close to 5% is sold as lead, copper, zinc or silver and the remaining becomes what is known as tailings implying tail end of the process industry. This contains trace, but very toxic quantities of heavy metals. (U.S.: Doe Run ordered to clean up tailings site)

The evils of development can be traced to a specific and recognizable source which is the exploitation of resources to maximization of profits of some of the most powerful institutions like Doe Run in the industrial global economy. Increasingly satisfying and more sustainable means of habitating this planet are there. A lot of options to multinational capitalist industrialism are already there, whereas others are being foreseen and developed by communities across the globe. It is a fact that societal progress does not have to be defined by genocide, social hierarchy, and boundless technology, a nonrenewable resource addition, pollution exists that threatens life and habitat destruction. It is not that one has to agree to the multinational corporation's current battle of hostility meted out to native peoples and the natural world. What can be done is fighting back and assisting to dawn increasingly democratic and humane societies which are better geared to safeguard and restore the earth. (Gedicks; Laduke 1)

3) How does Doe run company misuse the employees? What is the wage, working hours, and benefit of the company?

Doe Run Peru's employees as of October 2004 comprised of 825 full-time employees, 2207 regular hourly employees and also 1076 contractors. The company regards that its relations with its employees are good, although there are two unions for hourly employees and two unions for salaried employees. The main union representing 72% of the hourly employees is the Sindicato de Trabajadores. (Doe Run Resources Corp: Annual Report 10-K) the Company has been earning huge sales of its products and services as a result of the committed work on the part of its employees. This could be understood from Chart-2 given in the appendix. In spite of the increased sales and profit evolved from the sales, the company has been less committed to promoting the welfare of its employees.

As regards occupational hazards is concerned, video service cost $8,520 annually in case of a company with a workforce of 1,000 with additional employees priced at a rebate. This service was bought by the Doe Run Company which is a St. Louis metals company nearly a year back. It has been found that in case of employees of Doe Run, their rate of gall bladder surgery is double the national average, according to Barb Shepard, Vice President of human resources and community relations. According to her, the company hopes that the candidates for surgery will view a graphic simulation, learn a great deal regarding the method and engage in discussions with their physicians regarding whether they require it. In case they require it, the videos would not prevent them from availing the same. Viewing such videos will be able to lend command to patients to question their physician, according to Paul Mackey who is engaged in benefit administration at Alliance Coal LLC, a Tulsa, Okla mining company with 2,300 employees which is a facility of Alliance Resource Partners LP. Alliance Coal bought WorldDoc's services recently. In case of a lot of people "what a doctor says, it goes" - according to Mr. Mackey. Patients might not even question that doctor's recommendation. (Health Insurers show employees graphic surgery videos online)

The company has several litigations being filed against them by its employees. Among several litigations of misuse of services of employee leveled against the Doe Run company is by Alfred Leon Lorentz. The same employee had earlier settled its case against the Doe Run Company through a compromise settlement. The Second Injury fund was represented by Assistant Attorney General, Deborah a. The Court looked at all the files contained within the records of the Division of Workers' Compensation. During the time of hearing, the parties agreed on some undisputed realities and problems along with a Summary of Evidence and Findings of Fact and Rulings of Law which are set forth as (i) the employee's average weekly remuneration during the period of accident was $359.31 per week. The employee's compensation rate for all purposes is $239.36. It was stated that the injury of the employee was medically causally linked to his accident or the occupational diseases. The facts of the case state that the employer paid a net of 80 and 2/7 weeks of temporary disability in the total amount of $19,217.31. The temporary total benefits were paid in 80 and 2/7 subsequent weeks beginning on May 8, 1997. (Final Award allowing Compensation)