ALBANY, N.Y. April 25, 2017 — Laborers, unionists, faith leaders and advocates will gather at New York State United Teachers headquarters on Friday, April 28, to honor workers who have died, or suffered injuries and/or illnesses, on the job as part of the national commemoration of Workers Memorial Day.
The Workers Memorial Day ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. at NYSUT’s Latham headquarters, 800 Troy-Schenectady Road. Chuck Harvey, a compliance officer for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, will be the keynote speaker.
Every day, 150 American workers are injured or die on the job. According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2015 (the latest statistics available), there were 236 work-related fatalities in New York state while 148,000 workplace injuries and illnesses were reported.
Organizers said this year’s commemoration is particularly important due to Washington’s attempts to roll back or block regulations that protect workers from serious hazards, infectious diseases and workplace violence while, at the same time, slashing the job safety budget.
The ceremony will be co-sponsored by NYSUT, CSEA, Capital District Area Labor Federation, Capital District Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Occupational & Environmental Health Center of Eastern New York, Northeastern New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health, New York State Labor-Religion Coalition and New York State Council of Churches.
New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.