Last Tuesday was Workers' Memorial Day, a day that marks remembrance for those workers who have been killed and injured while on the job. According to the AFL-CIO’s 2009 Death on the Job report, 326 workers in Florida died on the job in 2007, and nearly 217,000 workers were injured or diseased. On average, 15 workers were killed each day in America in the same year.
Workers commemorate those who have been killed and hurt on the job, demand for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act
Last Tuesday was Workers' Memorial Day, a day that marks remembrance for those workers who have been killed and injured while on the job. According to the AFL-CIO’s 2009 Death on the Job report, 326 workers in Florida died on the job in 2007, and nearly 217,000 workers were injured or diseased. On average, 15 workers were killed each day in America in the same year.
Florida union members and allies marked this day with several activities throughout the state, including sermons in Volusia and Flagler churches and a outdoor public service in Palm Beach. Additionally, Robert Ray, President of the West Central Florida AFL-CIO, and Stacy Stepanovich, President of the Volusia-Flagler Chapter of the Central Florida AFL-CIO, both had letters printed in the newspaper for this national day of remembrance.
The Sunday before Workers Memorial Day, four churches in Volusia and Flagler counties delivered sermons to commemorate these losses. The sermon brought awareness on these frightening and shameful statistics and urged their congregants to support measures that would give workers justice, including the Employee Free Choice Act.
The sermon read in part:
"I am asking you to consider the lives that could be saved if more workers in this country and in this state had the opportunity to bargain for better safety and health conditions. . . I invite you to remember your brothers and sisters who have died on the job, to pray for their families, and to act on their behalf." (read more)
In West Palm Beach, the Palm Beach-Treasure Coast AFL-CIO held their annual Workers’ Memorial Day service in front of the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial at Curry Park. Local community leaders and elected officials joined union members in honoring fallen and injured workers. Workers from APWU, ATU, FEA, IAM, IBEW, IRON and OPEIU were present at the service.
This year, the service particularly hit home because last year IRON 402 lost a young apprentice, James Ford. Ford was killed on a Palm Beach County Solid Waste Authority construction project on April 8, 2008. In honor of his memory, members of IRON 402 spoke about Ford, his family and the tragic circumstances surrounding his death.
In addition to honoring Ford, Pastor Robert Gilbert of IAM 971 spoke at the event and there were two musical performances by Bill Sauders of OPEIU 971 and Michele Gall. Pat Emmert, President of the Palm Beach-Treasure Coast AFL-CIO, presented proclamations from Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners, St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners and the City of West Palm Beach in recognition of April 28, 2009, as Workers’ Memorial Day.
Emmert said she was "pleased" with the Palm Beach-Treasure Coast CLC’s action for Workers’ Memorial Day. "It was a sad day in that we were discussing workers killed and injured on the job, but it was also a happy day because so many people cared," she said.
The events from Workers’ Memorial Day highlight the need to enact critical changes to our nation’s health and safety standards, and this cannot be accomplished without major labor law reform. Let’s pass the Employee Free Choice Act, so workers can have a greater voice on the job and be empowered to demand safe workplaces.
To see more pictures from the service in West Palm Beach, click here.
The AFL-CIO’s 2009 Death on the Job report is available here.
To read Robert Ray’s letter, click here.
To read Stacy Stepanovich’s letter, click here.