Intern's death after overnight shift sparks outcry

The sudden death of a 22-year-old Alberta practicum student, who crashed while driving home after being made to work long hours,has his loved ones pushing for laws to protect unpaid interns from exploitation.

"He was taken advantage of," said his brother Matt Ferguson, from St. Albert, Alta. "If this hadnt happened the way it happened, it might be easier to deal with."

Andy Fergusons car crossed the centre line and hit a gravel truck head-on at 6 a.m. in November2011. He was halfway through his hour-long commute after working a morning shift and then all night.

"Andy wouldnt want this to happen to somebody else."

Records show the highway was clear and the weather was good. The young student had no alcohol or drugs in his system and was not on his phone when he crashed.

His family is convinced he didnt make it home because hed put in 16 hours in a 24-hour periodwith very little rest in between shiftsand was too exhausted to drive safely.

"We believe he fell asleep while he was driving," said Ferguson.

Double duty

Andy was a student in the radio and TV program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) in Edmonton.

He had to complete a four-month unpaid practicum for Astral Medias local pop rock radio stations, The Bear and Virgin Radio, in order to graduate. He was also putting in shifts as a paid intern, over and above his student hours.

"He just wanted to suck it up and he just wanted to finish his program and get it done with and he didnt get the chance to do that," said his brother.

His brother said Andy was a much-loved, aspiring comedian.

"One of his goals in life was just to make people laugh and make people happy," said Ferguson. "I can only dream of what he would have ended up doing with his life. I know it would have been great things."

Text messages and times in Andys phonesuggest he worked erratic hours, with little notice or direction.

At the start of one early shift, Andy texted his girlfriend to say, "Good morning! Wouldnt ya know it no one is here to tell me what to do. Good thinking on making me come in early!"

"He was there to learn and I dont feel he got the opportunity to do that," said Ferguson.

Andys girlfriend, Caelie Crowley, said one of his supervisors regularly called him his "bitch."

"If he was being introduced to somebody else in the department they would be like Oh yeah, this is Andy. But you can just call him my bitch,'" said Crowley.

Tried to say 'no'

Text messages the day before he died show Andy told Astral he didnt want to work the overnight shift, supervising a Halloween contest, where a contestant would be locked in a coffin.

"Fk this place," Andy texted to a friend on the afternoon of Oct. 31, 2011. "He [a supervisor] asked me to do the overnight thing for the tough contest and I did the most blunt 'no' I could do."

"He had already worked three nights prior to that doing, like, overnight shifts," said Crowley. "And he just didnt feel comfortable sitting in a hearse in a cemetery watching a girl in a coffin."

She said Andy told her a manager said if he didn't work that night, Astral wouldnt give him the credit he needed to graduate.

"They said if you want to keep your practicum hereyou basically shut your mouth and do what you are told," said Crowley.

In an email Andy wrote to a NAIT instructor, but never had a chance to send, he wrote, "it would be nice if the people I worked under showed a little more appreciation and respect for myself."

Text messages between Andy and his girlfriend on his last night show his frustration, and her concern for his well-being.

"How are you holding up?" she asks at one point. "Is everything going OK?" He replied, "Not really. Ha ha."

Later, he wrote, "Good night. I will be thinking of youI love you forever and sweet dreams." That was his last message to her.

"He wasnt the kind of person at all to say no," Crowley said, through tears. "It took a lot of me bugging him to say something [to his supervisors]."

Complaints led nowhere

After Andys death, Ferguson wrote to Astrals CEO, but said he didnt hear back. He also filed a complaint with federal labour authorities, claiming his brother was forced to work excessive hours without adequate rest.

Federal law governing broadcasters says employees cant be made to work more than 48 hours a week.

There were discrepancies between Andys records and how long Astral said he worked. The case was further complicated because he was not paid for the hours he put in as a student, but did get paid for other shifts.

His student hours didnt count, because the law doesnt cover unpaid training. Federal investigators concluded the company was not in violation.

"Everyone at 100.3 The Bear, Virgin Radio 104.9, and Team 1260 was devastated by Andys death, and their condolences were extended to the family," said a statement to Go Public from Bell, which has since purchased Astra Media.

"Astral Media co-operated fully with the investigation by the Ministry of Labour, which found that the radio stations were compliant with the Canada Labour Code, and in Andys case, that the maximum hours of work were not exceeded."

Bell refused to answer questions about how Andy was treated by Astral, saying "no comment". It did say, however, that it applies best practices when dealing with its own interns.

NAIT also refused to answer questions about this, citing "privacy requirements."

MP takes up cause

"There is no doubt that he had worked considerable and I would suggest excessive hours in the days leading up to his unfortunate car accident," said Fergusons member of Parliament, Brent Rathbeger, who said he will use this case to push for change.

Labour rules in Alberta and other provinces also dont cover unpaid work by students or interns in provincially regulated workplaces.

"The bargaining is not in the youth employees' favour. That needs to be addressed generallyboth through provincial and federal regulationsto protect all employees but specifically youth," said Rathbeger.

The Canadian Intern Association said it hears many stories from young people who feel overworked.

"I hear about this frequently," said president Claire Seaborn. "High youth unemployment rates are making it very difficult, which may result in young interns working long hours and not feeling they can speak up about it."

This comes on the heels of a recent death in the U.K., where a young intern working for Merrill Lynch died after pulling three all-nighters in a row. Moritz Erhardt, from Germany, was found dead in his shower Aug. 15.

In that case, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said it is now reviewing "all aspects of working practices" for its young employees and interns.

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