Workers Memorial Day

Workers Memorial Day is held each year on April 28 to mourn workers killed and injured on the job.  It is also the day we rededicate ourselves to the fight for workplace safety.

Decades of struggle by workers and their unions have resulted in significant improvements in working conditions.  But the fight to protect workers must continue as the toll of workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths remains enormous.  Each year, more than 60,000 workers die from job injuries and illnesses, and another 6 million are injured.

Good jobs—jobs that pay decent wages and provide health care benefits and pensions—are disappearing.  Corporations are looking to export jobs and cut pay and benefits.  Workers are considered more expendable than ever.  Worker safety and health protections—rarely a priority for most companies—will be further threatened in a low-wage economy.

Workers Memorial Day is a day in which we call for an end to such an injustice, and rededicate ourselves to the fight to make workplaces safer and to make our community stronger.

On April 28, please take the time to mourn the victims and recognize that millions of U.S. workers continue to work in pain and lose their livelihoods because of work-related injuries.  It is time President Bush and members of Congress take action to protect workers.