INTERNATIONAL LABOUR:

THE WAR AGAINST WORKERS:

Another Workers' Memorial Day has come and gone, and still the carnage continues. The death toll from workplace accidents worldwide is actually on the level of 6,000 per day or about 2.2 million per year. As such this particular "war against workers" is actually far more deadly than any actual war waged in recent memory, and it shows no sign of stopping. See this report from the International Labour Organization (ILO) for a full view of the grim statistics. The cause is simple. When humanity is divided into order givers (the bosses) and order takers (the workers) then those who direct the work do not put the highest priority on the interests of those they use in production. This applies to government enterprise just as much as it does to private business.

The solution is also just as simple...economic democracy where the conditions and goals of workplaces are controlled cooperatively by all who work in them. Some might argue that at least some workplace deaths and injuries are inevitable. Maybe so, but it hinges on what you mean by "some". Even in our pseudo-democratic societies the rate of such tragedies varies tremendously from country to country (and from region to region in federal states). In the EU, for instance, the number of fatalities per 100,000 workers varies from a low of 1.1 in the UK to a high of 7.6 in Portugal. This variation is not just a function of general economic development. Prosperous Austria has a higher rate (4.8) than Greece (3.0) or Spain (3.7). See here for the details. What these figures show is that the rate of such incidents is very much a function of the prevailing industrial culture in a given jurisdiction.

Deaths at the workplace and work related illnesses are not the inevitable result of simple chance. The differences in the figures above show that even with the minimal effort that business serving governments can put in that at least 85% of these deaths are preventable. What i am saying is that, if workers run the workplaces themselves that the percentage that can be prevented is an unknown number far greater than 85%.

This war on the workers is not one that can end with a peace treaty and not just because it is an undeclared war. The very nature of a society divided into those who work and those who direct means that the directors will inevitably cut corners when the welfare of the employees interferes with the goals of the bosses. This war can only end when workplaces are owned and run cooperatively. That is what is called libertarian socialism.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR:

WORKERS' MEMORIAL DAY:

April 28 is International Workers' Memorial Day, a day set aside to remember the millions of workers killed or injured either on the job or by workplace related illness. A list of events across the world can be seen at this article from Hazards magazine. Here in Canada Molly urges you to check out the website of the Canadian Injured Workers Society, especially their article 'What's Wrong With Workers Compensation'. I'll will have a lot more to say about this day later, but for now here is the statement of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) on this day.

ILILILILILILILIL
Remember the dead, fight for the living

April 28 is the National Day of Mourning for workers killed or injured as a result of unhealthy work environments.

This day is particularly important for CUPE members as it was CUPE’s National Health and Safety Committee, who in 1984, first proposed the idea for a day to honour workers injured or killed at work. This year will mark the 26th National Day of Mourning and it will be recognized in more than a hundred countries around the world.

Conservative estimates report that on average, three Canadian workers are killed every day. That means in a typical year, there are approximately 1,000 workers killed in Canada. Add these statistics to the approximately one million workplace injuries and thousands of workers that are made sick or diseased by their work or workplaces in Canada.

The International Labour Organization (ILO), an agency of the United Nations, reports that more than two million people worldwide die from occupational accidents or work-related diseases every year. The ILO conservatively estimates that there are 270 million occupational accidents and 160 million cases of occupational disease across the globe every year. Many of these injuries are not reported, compensation for workers and their families is limited, and penalties for employers and management are rarely imposed.

Today in Canada, from coast to coast to coast, ceremonies are being held to recognize workers who have been killed or injured in the workplace during the last year.

CUPE remembers the following local union members who lost their lives while on the job this past year.

++Clifford Payne, 63, CUPE 3148, school bus driver in Corner Brook, Newfoundland & Labrador
++Sheldon Miller, 29, CUPE 189, maintenance worker in Medicine Hat, Alberta
++Jacques Tremblay, 55, Chief Equipment Mechanic, section locale 1500 du SCFP, (CUPE 1500) Forestville, Quebec
++James Best, 34, CUPE 416, municipal worker in Toronto, Ontario
++Pierre Leclerc, 57, section locale 301 du SCFP (CUPE 301), Pierrefonds, Quebec

CANADIAN LABOUR- BRITISH COLUMBIA:

BC NURSES MARK WORKERS' MEMORIAL DAY:

Workers' Memorial Day (April 28) is an international day of remembrance set aside each year for workers killed and injured on the job. Each year Molly has blogged extensively about this day and its implications, and 2010 will be no different. WMD is actually a Canadian contribution to world culture as it was first observed by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and only later became an international phenomenum. Each year over 2 million people are killed in workplace accidents or by work related disease. This holocaust is far greater than any of the wars of nation versus nation, though I guess that the war of the bosses versus the people could be termed the greatest war of all. Here, from the BC Nurses Union is how nurses in BC intend to mark this upcoming day.

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BCNU marks April 28th Day of Mourning for nurses and other workers killed or injured on the job
Wear a sticker and attend an event in your community

Every year on April 28th, we honour the memory of Canadian workers who have lost their lives or careers due to work-related injuries or occupational diseases. The Day of Mourning is an opportunity to remember fallen workers and to recommit to creating safer workplaces.

Facts on 2009 work-related injuries and deaths

•121 BC workers lost their lives due to workplace injury and disease, an average of almost three workers each week
•More than 3,000 work-related injuries are reported each week
•19 workers are permanently disabled every work day
Nursing workplace injuries and deaths

•Approximately 1,225 nurses are injured every year
•55 percent are caused by overexertion or repetitive movement
•13 percent are caused by violent or aggressive behavior
•12 percent are caused by slips and trips
•2 percent of the time a motor vehicle is the cause of the injury
•Recently an emergency RN contracted Hepatitis C after being stuck by an improperly discarded dirty needle
•In 2007 two RN's died from work related illnesses
Workplace injuries are often serious and life altering. Many nurses develop cancer or other hormonal irregularities related to years of shift work. Some don't realize their conditions are work related and die prematurely without claiming WorkSafe BC benefits.

What you can do

•Wear a sticker marking the Day of Mourning. Stickers and posters have been mailed to your stewards. Ask for some. Visit http://dayofmourning.bc.ca/ and make a dedication to a fallen worker.
•Attend a Day of Mourning event in your community
•Recognize unsafe working conditions and report them to your manager.

CANADIAN LABOUR

DYING FOR WORK:

April 28, Workers' Memorial Day, is fast approaching, and like in years past Molly will be blogging extensively on this subject. Workplace related deaths are actually a far more common cause of mortality than any wars. In any given year 2 million people die worldwide of workplace accidents or occupational illnesses. I guess there are wars and then there are wars, and the war of the bosses against their workers is much more deadly than any other. Here's a potpourri of recent workers deaths in Canada. To say the least this is a mere snapshot. First from CTV Toronto a call from the Ontario Federation of Labour for a police probe into a construction accident in Toronto earlier this month.

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Union demands police probe into worker's death
The Canadian Press
TORONTO — The Ontario Federation of Labour is calling for a criminal probe into the death of a construction worker in east-end Toronto last week.

The man was building concrete forms when he fell through a hole on the second floor, plummeting about 10 metres to the basement.

The victim, known to co-workers as Ali, died in hospital later that day.

Friday's accident occurred at the University of Toronto's new $70 million Instructional Centre.

OFL president Sid Ryan is calling on police to investigate the accident to determine if criminal charges should be laid against the employer.

He says the law allows for the prosecutions of company officials if they fail to keep workplaces healthy and safe.

Ryan says the March 12th death was the seventh fall-related fatality in as many weeks ( NB - Molly ) and "another preventable death."

"The carnage in our workplaces has to stop." he said.

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Here's an item from the University of Toronto newspaper The Varsity that clarifies and expands on the incident mentioned above.

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Site worker dies on Scarborough campus
Labour union seeks criminal investigation

Samya Kullab
A construction worker named Hilit Mutlu died last week when he fell through a hole on the second floor of U of T Scarborough’s new $70 million Instructional Centre, plummeting 10 metres to the basement. The accident occurred on Friday, March 12.

Mutlu, a recent immigrant from Turkey, died later that day when he was rushed to Sunnybrook.

“This is actually the second fatality with this group of companies and the second fatality as a result of a fall,” said a spokesperson for the Ontario Federation of Labour.

In June 2008, Petro, a co-worker of Ali, fell three metres from a cantilevered portion of a support beam at a condo site.

OFL president Sid Ryan called for a police investigation of the accident to see if criminal charges should be laid against Ali’s employer, Red 2000 Structures Inc., for failing to keep the workplace safe..

Ryan described the incident as “another preventable death.”

“All we’re saying is that we want a criminal investigation and only if evidence warrants should there be charges. What we’re looking specifically is for an investigation through the Bill C-35 amendment, which places a legal obligation under the criminal code around employer negligence,” said the OFL spokesperson.

Last December 24, another four Toronto construction workers fell to their deaths when scaffolding collapsed. The OFL called for a criminal investigation under Bill C-45.

The Bill amended the Criminal Code of Canada to allow for the prosecution of corporate executives, directors, and managers who neglect to uphold their responsibilities to make and keep workplaces healthy and safe.

The death of Ali coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Hogg’s Hollow disaster, commemorating the death of five Italian immigrant workers who died while constructing a tunnel in 1960. The death caused public outrage and mobilized the Italian community to change health and safety laws.

Ontario tallied 10 fall-related construction worker deaths in 2009, according to the Labour Ministry.

Tim Legault contributed reporting for this article.

A previous version of this article incorrectly reported the name of the worker who died as Ali. In fact, his name is Hilit Mutlu. The Varsity regrets the error.

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Here's another item from radio station VOCM out in Newfoundland about yet another incident.

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Man Dies in IOC Industrial Accident; Union Questions Air Ambulance Delay
The Iron Ore Company of Canada says 56-year-old Eldon Perry is the victim of an industrial accident at their operation in Labrador City. IOC says 33-year-old Joshua Hayse also involved in the incident remains in hospital in serious condition. The RNC say the two men, both from Lab City, were working at the site when they fell off a piece of lift equipment Thursday afternoon around 2 p.m. They were brought to Captain William Jackman Memorial Hospital. The Constabulary and Occupational Health and Safety are investigating, and operations at the mine have been temporarily suspended.

Steelworkers' Union President George Kean says they are mourning the loss of their member, and hope Hayse will have a full recovery. He says Perry was a kind co-worker, dedicated family man and well known in the community.

Kean says there are concerns about the unavailability of an air ambulance yesterday. He says it finally arrived around 1 a.m. Friday morning. Kean says it's a two-hour flight from St. Anthony, so he is wondering where the air ambulance was Thursday. He says the individual could have been at the Health Sciences Centre last night with the proper care available. Kean wants something done about the issue, and he wants to see health care improved in Labrador West.

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Here's a little reminder from the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) about what the situation used to be and what we have yet to achieve. The anniversary was mentioned above. Molly would add the warning about what could happen once more if the employers "win the war".
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Labour movement commemorates 50th anniversary of Hogg’s Hollow disaster
(TORONTO) -- In 1960, the horrific deaths of five Italian immigrant workers who died while constructing a tunnel produced such public outrage, mobilizations in the Italian community, and massive union organizing that health and safety laws were forever changed.

Unaware of their rights and desperate for paid employment, the workers became victims of an employer who continuously violated almost every safety regulation governing the Toronto tunnel project.

“Today we honour the victims of the 1960 disaster and note that they have become a potent symbol of the importance of rigorously enforced health and safety laws,” says OFL President Sid Ryan.

“But while vitally important progress has been made, workplace dangers continue to exist for too many of Ontario’s more than seven million workers.”

Last December 24th, four workers fell to their deaths when their scaffolding collapsed. A fifth worker barely survived. The OFL called for an immediate criminal investigation utilizing “Westray” Bill C-45.

The Bill amended the Criminal Code of Canada to allow for criminal prosecutions of corporate executives, directors and managers who act wrongfully or neglect to uphold their responsibilities to make and keep workplaces healthy and safe. In the six years since it was passed more than 400 Ontario workers have been killed on the job and nearly two million injured, yet not one employer in Ontario has been prosecuted. ( NB - Molly )

“We are at another turning point in health and safety protection. C-45 must become routinely integrated into provincial responses to death and injury. Too many irresponsible employers and managers will only get the message when they too have their futures at stake,” said Ryan.
Contact:

Sid Ryan

President, Ontario Federation of Labour

p: 416-209-0066 (mobile)

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Finally, to give a little local reference to this topic here is a story originally from the Winnipeg Free Press about local NDP MP Pat Martin's long standing campaign to end the asbestos industry in Canada. This latest is simply about ending government subsidies to this killer industry. Martin is one of the few members of parliament who has actually ever worked for a living.

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Feds should cut asbestos advocacy funding: NDP MP
Mia Rabson, Winnipeg Free Press: Thursday, March 18, 2010

OTTAWA — A New Democrat MP has challenged the federal government to cut its budget funding for the Chrysotile Institute, a Quebec-based advocacy group for the asbestos industry.

In the budget, the government affirmed its annual $250,000 in direct support for the institute, but Winnipeg MP Pat Martin said Thursday that asbestos is an unsafe product that the government should not be paying to promote.

"It's corporate welfare for corporate serial killers," said Martin.

At a Natural Resources Committee meeting he proposed a motion to cut the funding from the budget estimates. He has the backing of the Canadian Cancer Society, which wrote the committee this week asking for the institute's funds to be redirected to a strategy to phase out the use and exports of asbestos.

Canada is one of the last producers and the second largest exporter of asbestos in the world. About 200,000 tonnes of the fibre is still mined in Quebec and exported each year, mainly to developing countries such as India and Indonesia. It is used mostly to reinforce construction materials.

But the World Health Organization says all forms of asbestos, including chrysotile, causes cancer, and it has been banned by the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and all countries in the European Union.

It is associated with a number of fatal lung diseases and is responsible for more than 60 per cent of the industrial-related deaths in the country each year.

Clement Godbout is a registered lobbyist who heads up the Chrysotile Institute, a non-profit organization set up in 1984 by the Quebec and federal governments to promote the safe use of Chrysotile asbestos around the world.

The institute has done a great job of protecting Canadian workers from the health hazards of asbestos, he said, and now the institute uses that expertise to educate developing countries on safe use of the product.

"Canada is a resource-rich country and we export all kinds of chemicals and natural products that are cancer-causing if used improperly, some more than chrysotile," he said, giving such examples as lead and uranium.

There is only one remaining asbestos mine in Canada. It is in the riding of Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis.

At the committee Thursday, Paradis said he has long been aware of Martin's criticism of the asbestos industry but said Martin cherry-picks facts from studies and ignore others.

"These studies show chrysotile asbestos is safe," said Paradis. ( "safer than" is not "safe" - Molly )

He said the position of the government to continue funding the institute is based on science and that it is safe as long as its risk is properly managed.

Paradis said that is the whole purpose of the Chrysotile Institute. ( I suppose that defending a profitable industry has nothing whatsoever to do with it - Molly )

"It is not an institute of lobbying," said Paradis. "It is there to promote the safe use of asbestos." ( cough, cough, cough - Molly )

Last year, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff came out in favour of banning asbestos exports after changing his position a few times. But the Liberal natural resources critic Geoff Regan said Martin's appearance at the committee was nothing more than a political stunt that took away from other important work the committee should have attended to. Martin is not a normal member of the committee but appeared Thursday solely to introduce his motion regarding asbestos. ( Martin actually once worked in an asbestos mine, unlike the other members whose "work experience" is probably entirely in legal finagling. I can imagine that he has a personal interest that goes beyond the protection of business clients- Molly )

"He was just using the committee as his soap box," said Regan. "I have no great affection for the Chrysotile Institute. Our leader has been very clear we believe chrysotile asbestos poses significant health risks."

But Regan said the response is to address regional economic diversification.

Regan said the NDP knows amending the estimates is a confidence matter that leads to election talk and that's not appropriate.

"I don't want any part of these NDP electioneering games," he said.

Martin called the response "spineless." ( I'd have different insult terms for it- Molly )

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR/LOCAL LABOUR:

WORKERS' MEMORIAL DAY:

Today was the International Workers' Memorial Day, a national day in many countries worldwide set aside to remember workers killed or injured on the job, including those affected by workplace induced illness. The facts themselves are startling enough. Each year over two million workers die of workplace injuries and illness across the globe. The rate of occupational accidents (270 million per year) and work-related illness (160 million) is even more disturbing (see the Wikipedia article on Workers' Memorial Day). Here in Canada, according to a CBC article, there have been 13,106 people killed in workplace "accidents" from 1993 to 2007. In 2007 alone 972,407 Canadian workers were injured or became ill due to work.

Workers' Memorial Day is actually a Canadian innovation. It was initiated by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in 1984, and the Canadian Labour Congress declared the day to be official in 1985. The US government recognized the day in 1989, and the Canadian government followed suit in 1991.

Here in Winnipeg this year's events were distinctly low key, and mostly in commemoration of the 61 Winnipeg City employees who have been killed on the job since 1978. Here's the story from the CBC article mentioned above.

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Firefighters remembered during Manitoba's day of mourning:

CBC News
The names of three Winnipeg firefighters were added to the list of workers killed on the job, as the annual National Day of Mourning was commemorated Tuesday in the courtyard at city hall.

Leslie Helman, Alfred McDonald and Fred Roy died of work-related illness in the past year.

"These workers are not statistics. They are parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, friends and neighbours," Manitoba Labour Minister Nancy Allan said to the crowd. "Their loss and the loss felt by their families, their colleagues and their communities lingers."

The National Day of Mourning, held annually on April 28, was officially recognized by the federal government in 1991 — eight years after the day of remembrance was launched by the Canadian Labour Congress.

The national event to remember workers who were injured or died on the job, or who died from a work-related illness, is now marked in more than 100 countries.

In Winnipeg, Tuesday morning's commemoration was the start of a full day of observances.

Worksite ceremonies are also being held at city facilities at 1155/1199 Pacific Avenue, 1220 Pacific Avenue, 598 Plinquet Street, and at the Millennium Library.

Sixty-one city employees have died of work-related causes since 1978.

"As public servants, it's our mission to serve citizens well, to do so safely, and return home safely to the ones we love," said City of Winnipeg chief administrative officer Glen Laubenstein.
Political and labour leaders will also gather at 11:55 a.m. at the Union Centre, 275 Broadway Ave., and then walk to the Manitoba legislature.

A news conference with Allan will be held at 12:15 p.m. in front of the grand staircase at the legislative building.

The event is organized by SAFE Workers of Tomorrow, a local organization dedicated to promoting workplace health and safety among young workers.

According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, in the 15-year period from 1993 to 2007, there were 13,106 people who lost their lives due to work-related causes.
In 2007 alone, 1,055 workplace deaths were recorded in Canada — an increase of 976 from the previous year. Another 972,407 were injured or become ill.

Data from 2007 is the most recently available.

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Of course Winnipeg, not being the centre of the universe, was hardly the only place where the day was commemorated. The website of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union has a fine list of where there were events in Canada, and Hazards Magazine has a more general list of events worldwide. Down in the States there is also a fine new site, the United Support & memorial for Workplace Fatalities that I have mentioned before on this blog. Speaking of "mentioned before" it seems that i have written quite frequently on the subject of WMD over the years. Three times in 2009-Feb 27, March 7 and April 26. Three time in 2008-April 12 and two articles on April 28, and once in 2007-April 28. That first one is still my favourite. Here's what Molly said about this day two years ago.

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WORKERS' MEMORIAL DAY:
Today, April 28th is international Workers' Memorial Day. This is a day set aside each year to remember workers killed or injured on the job and to demand changes that will prevent such occurrences in the future. This day is one of Canada's lesser known contributions to the world.

Workers' Memorial Day was first promoted by CUPE and other Canadian unions in 1984 following the deaths of four miners in Sudbury. The Canadian Labour Congress declared an annual day of remembrance in 1985 on April 28th, which is the anniversary of the first Workers' Compensation Act proclaimed in 1919. The Americans followed in 1989 with credit being given to the fact that April 28th is also the anniversary of the establishment of OSHA. The Canadian Parliament passed an act recognizing this day in 1991.

The campaign spread to the UK in 1992 where it was adopted by the TUC in 1999.

Meanwhile the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions began to observe the day in 1996, and in 2002 the International Labour Organization(ILO) announced that Workers' Memorial Day was to be an official event in the United Nations system. Today the day is observed worldwide as an "official" day in many countries while in others the union movement is pursuing recognition.

The ILO estimates that two million people die per year of work related accidents and diseases and that, every year, there are 270 million occupational accidents and 160 million incidents of work related illnesses. Work actually kills more people in the modern world than wars do. In the USA 5,734 workers were killed and 4.2 million people were injured at work in 2005. The Canadian statistics are available at http://awcbc.org/english/NWISP_stats.asp . The situation is grimmer in Canada than in the USA in terms of fatalities which were at 1,097 in 2005. On a per capita basis workers are killed almost twice as frequently in Canada as in the US. This number has been steadily increasing in the last decade. The number of workplace injuries, however, has been steadily declining since it peaked in 1989, and in 2005 337,930 Canadian workers had suffered "compensatible injuries".

Hazards magazine maintains a website devoted to WMD with links to events worldwide. Together with the Labour Start online union solidarity site Hazards has initiated the Health and Safety Newswire. See this for more information.

For other resources on workplace health, injuries and deaths see the following:
Labour Start
Hazards Magazine
Trade Union Sustainable Development Unit
The Pump Handle
The Weekly Toll
Families Against Corporate Killers (FACK)
Centre for Corporate Accountability
Life Quilt (a quilt project honouring young workers killed on the job)
Canadian Injured Workers Society
Community of Injured Workers in Canada
Canadian Injured Workers Alliance
Canadian Council for the Rights of Injured Workers
Research Action Alliance on the Consequences of Work Injuries
And, of course, go to Le Revue Gauche for megablogger Eugene Plawiuk's take on this Worker Memorial Day with lots more info than Molly has presented here.

Finally, there is a petition at the Canadian Injured Workers Society calling on the Canadian federal government to hold a federal public judicial inquiry into wrongdoing by workers compensation boards across the country. Go here to view the petition or to sign it.
Labels: Canada, CUPE, events, labour, Workers' Memorial Day, workplace health

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR:
MATERIALS FOR WORKERS' MEMORIAL DAY:
Worker's Memorial Day (April 28) is fast approaching. This is a day set aside for the memory of the myriad of workers killed and injured on the job. Molly has blogged on this day both in 2007 and in 2008 (see our archives), and I will undoubtedly do so again this year. But, until then, here's a little early bird announcement from the AFL-CIO Blog about what they are doing to commemorate this day. Workers' memorial day, by the way, is a Canadian contribution to the world. It was first initiated in 1984 by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), and the next year the Canadian labour Congress took up the idea. See the link above for other details.
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Workers Memorial Day 2009 Materials Ready Now:
by Mike Hall, Feb 25, 2009



For many of America’s workers, going to work can literally be deadly. The most recent edition of the AFL-CIO’s annual Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect shows that an average of 15 workers a day were killed on the job and each day, another 11,000 workers were injured or made ill in 2007. Overall in 2007 (the latest figures available), 5,488 workers died from workplace injuries and 4.0 million were hurt or made sick by their jobs.




Recent studies have shown that the workplace injury reports may miss as many as two out of three workplace injuries, meaning that the real toll of workplace injuries is much higher than reported.





On April 28, to honor those killed and injured on the job and to call for improved workplace safety, workers in the United States and around the world will mark Workers Memorial Day. The theme of this is “Good Jobs. Safe Jobs. Give Workers a Voice for a Change.”
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. The materials include:

**Workers Memorial Day flier.
**Workers Memorial Day poster.
**Workers Memorial Day clip art in English and
Spanish:
Mourn for the Dead, Fight for the Living and
Good Jobs, Safe Jobs. Give Workers a Voice for a Change;
**Workers Memorial Day stickers.
**Workers Memorial Day events form.
**Workers Memorial Day proclamation.
**Safety and health update (February 2009).

The 2009 edition of Death on the Job, set for release in April, will examine workplace death, injuries and illness by occupation, state and cause. It will analyze trends and examine the federal government’s track record on developing workplace safety standards. It also will look 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).





The AFL-CIO Workers Memorial Day online tools include 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.(As I said above the day actually originated in Canada-Molly) Trade unionists around the world mark April 28 as an International Day of Mourning for workers killed.





Click here to read how health and safety experts from the labor, scientific and academic fields say OSHA can be rebuilt after the Bush administration spent eight years tearing down the safety agency.