Events To Honor Fallen and Injured Workers Occuring Across Ohio For Workers Memorial Day
In 1989, the AFL-CIO declared April 28 to be "Workers' Memorial Day", to honor the hundreds of thousands of working people killed and injured on the job every year. April 28 is the anniversary of the date the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 went into effect, and when the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was formed (April 28, 1971).
Elevating workplace safety and health issues is more important than ever. At a time of deep division, the desire for a safe and healthy workplace is something that unites people, and is important for our organizing, bargaining and advocacy.
The situation is dire. Each day, more than 380 workers are killed and more than 8,600 suffer injury and illness because of dangerous working conditions that are preventable.
Together on this Workers Memorial Day, we don’t just mourn; we must step forward to hold the line and confront the moment we are in. We must hold employers accountable to keep workers safe. We must demand more—not fewer—government resources to do this. We must demand dignity at work.
We will hold the line in the halls of government and on the shop floor to protect our fundamental right to a safe job. Our nation’s strength depends on safe workplaces and workers who can return home to their families at the end of each shift.