Workplace Murder of Amber Czech Sparks Safety Alarm

The murder of 20-year-old welder Amber Czech at a Minnesota manufacturing facility has triggered widespread calls for stronger protections for women in the trades.

Czech was found dead by authorities at her workstation in Cokato’s Advanced Process Technologies just after 6 a.m. on November 11. She had completed a 10-month welding programme earlier this year and had only recently begun her career. 

Wright County Attorney Brian Lutes said colleague David Bruce Delong struck her multiple times with a sledgehammer and later confessed he had planned the attack. Local reports said he claimed he “just didn’t like” her and had been upset that she had “given him a bad look.”

Police said surveillance footage showed Delong picking up the tool and walking towards Czech moments before the killing. He has been charged with second-degree intentional murder and could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted. 

A relative quoted by the Dassel Enterprise Dispatch said the family had severed ties with him years ago over concerns for their safety.

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Advanced Process Technologies halted work for the remainder of the week, saying: “We are heartbroken by yesterday’s tragedy, and our thoughts are with the victim’s family and friends in this terrible moment.”

Czech’s death has sent shockwaves through trade organisations across North America. The National Association of Women in Construction described the killing as part of a wider pattern of hostility facing women on jobsites. 

Its president, Rita Brown, said: “We must confront the truth that too many tradeswomen have endured hostility, intimidation, harassment and threats on jobsites where warning signs were visible but unaddressed.” 

She added that the industry could “no longer deny and will no longer tolerate” such behaviour.

North America’s Building Trades Unions also issued a forceful response, stressing that although Czech had not been a member, her loss was felt “across our union community and the entire construction industry.” 

President Sean McGarvey said: “Violence has no place on our job sites,” pointing to initiatives aimed at changing workplace culture by tackling bullying and harassment.

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