April 28, 2015
We Must Make Workers Memorial Day a Catalyst for Great Change
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Marc Perrone, International President of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), today released the following statement about Workers Memorial Day:
This Workers Memorial Day, we remember the hard-working men and women who have sacrificed their bodies, and in some cases their lives, to make a living for themselves and their families.
While most Americans may never have heard of this day, the workplace tragedies that inspired it are real and continue to this day. As recently as 2013, 4,400 workers were killed on the job. If we are to end these workplace tragedies, we must work together – unions, corporations, government, and the public – to build a united front that is focused on stopping them.
The best way for Americans to protect themselves is to empower them with laws that protect their right to speak out when they see something unsafe on the job. We must be unafraid to raise the alarm when conditions at their worksite become dangerous.
We must make Workers Memorial Day a catalyst for great change. It is a day to come together and push to pass safe workplace laws that help workers, not protect the irresponsible. Let’s make it easier for workers to be protected in their workplace and bargain for safer standards. Let’s create an environment where corporations view workplace safety as a priority.
Let’s use Workers Memorial Day to inspire us to save the lives that should never be lost.
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Join the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) online at www.ufcw.org
We are 1.3 million families standing together to build an economy that every hard-working family deserves.