CLEVELAND, April 28 — The following is a statement by BLET National President Don M. Hahs on Workers Memorial Day 2006.
“Workers’ Memorial Day is a time for all workers to remember and honor those who have lost their lives in the workplace, and to stand up to protect those on the job today. April 28 was chosen for Workers Memorial Day because it is the anniversary of the founding of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and is the date of a similar remembrance in Canada. Trade unionists around the world now mark April 28 as an International Day of Mourning. And mourning is what we must do on this day, while never forgetting to fight for safer workplaces for all workers.
“Each year, 6,000 people are killed at work. Another 50,000 workers die from occupational diseases and millions more are injured. Last year, job fatalities in the workplace increased for the first time in a decade. In 2005, 25 railroad employees died on the job, and there were 5,405 employee injuries. This number, unfortunately, includes four members of the BLET — Christopher Seeling, G.Y. Bailey, Mark Cain and Arthur “Buddy” Irby.
“One injury is tragic; 5,405 injuries are unconscionable. The BLET, along with all of labor, is working to ensure that no worker will ever again have to go to work and not return home. Unfortunately, the Bush administration has turned its back on workers and their safety — doing nothing to address workplace hazards. Siding with its corporate friends, not one significant standard has been issued to protect workers since the Bush administration took office, and none are planned.
“We obviously still have much work to do in order to make sure that our workplaces are safe. But Workers Memorial Day is a day to call for an end to injustice and rededicate ourselves to the fight to make workplaces safer. On this day and all days, we must, as Mother Jones implored us, ‘Mourn for the Dead and Fight for the Living.’ ”