Workers Memorial Materials Available Online Now (April 28)

[Omaha Steve]

Each year, thousands of workers are killed on the job and millions more are injured or become ill because of their jobs.


This April 28, workers in the United States and around the world will honor those killed and injured on the job and call for improved workplace safety on Workers Memorial Day.



Last year, there were 12,000 ceremonies, from memorial services to marches and rallies, in 118 countries. This year, workers, union activists and religious and community leaders and elected officials are expected to take part in a similar number of events.


You can start planning and organizing a Workers Memorial Day event in your workplace or community with materials now available online from the AFL-CIO.


Materials available now at above link include:


* Workers Memorial Day flier;


* Workers Memorial Day poster;


* Clip art (in English or Spanish) that can be used in a local union or other publication;


* Workers Memorial Day proclamation; and


* The latest Safety and Health Update from the AFL-CIO.

Coming in April is the AFL-CIO annual study, Death on the Job, which examines workplace death, injuries and illness by occupation, state and cause. It analyzes trends and examines the federal government’s track record on developing workplace safety standards. It also looks at the enforcement—or lack of it—of current safety laws by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).


There are also links to a collection of workers’ memorials in the United States and around the world and poems and other tributes to workers killed on the job.


The first Workers Memorial Day was observed in 1989. April 28 was chosen because it is the anniversary of the creation of OSHA in 1971 and the day of a similar remembrance in Canada. Trade unionists around the world mark April 28 as an International Day of Mourning for workers killed.