In Memory of Sheri Sangji

By Joan Lichterman, CWA Local 9119's OSH Director

CWA commemorates the life of Sheri Sangji, a 23-year-old who planned to study law so she could fight for the rights of women and minorities. Instead, she died on January 16, 2009, 18 days after being severely burned in a preventable lab fire at the University of California Los Angeles, where she had begun working 11 weeks earlier to save money for law school. She was a member of CWA 9119, University Professional and Technical Employees.

Although UCLA and Sheri’s boss, Professor Patrick Harran, tried to cast her as an experienced chemist and blame her for her death, the Los Angeles County District Attorney ultimately filed four felony charges against UCLA and the professor after an extensive criminal investigation by Cal/OSHA. The university’s governing board agreed to a settlement in 2012, which included numerous safety changes, lab inspections at all University of California campuses, and a scholarship in Sheri’s name. Professor Harran — the first U.S. professor to face criminal charges because of safety violations — could have faced four and a half years in jail. Instead, the court agreed to a five-year deferred prosecution agreement in June 2014. The district attorney won’t move to drop the charges until Professor completes multiple forms of community service and pays a $10,000 fine.

In her memory we will push on with the great strides made in laboratory safety at UC and nationwide that began as a result of her tragic end. We cannot bring Sheri back but we can do everything in our power that this never happens again.

Additional information about Sheri is available at sherisangji.com, including links to all the articles, family letters, etc.