LANSING, MI – On Thursday, April 28th, local workers, union leaders, and community partners will gather for Workers Memorial Day events across the state, remembering workers who have died or suffered illness or injuries while on the job.
In 2020, 131 workers were killed on the job in Michigan, while many more suffered from occupational illnesses or were injured. The COVID-19 pandemic that has ravaged workplaces has cost nearly 1 million people their lives nationwide and has highlighted the importance of the right to a safe workplace and the weaknesses of the laws and workplace safety agencies meant to protect workers.
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, working Michiganders have fought hard to ensure a safe workplace for everyone while showing up for their daily shifts at work,” said Ron BIEBER, President of the Michigan AFL-CIO. “This Workers Memorial Day, union members and our community partners will gather at various events across the state, honoring workers who lost their lives or were injured on the job. Worker safety is our top priority, and we’ll spend every day honoring the dead and fighting like hell for the living.”
Metro-Detroit Workers Memorial Day Rally
Metro-Detroit Central Labor Council officers and members, UAW Regions 1 and 1A officers and members, and community partners will gather for a dedication of the Michigan Workers’ COVID-19 Memorial at Transcending: Michigan Labor Legacy Monument, near Hart Plaza in Detroit.
WHEN: Thursday, April 28th at Noon
WHERE: Transcending: Michigan Labor Legacy Monument, 1 Hart Plaza, Detroit, MI
Upper Peninsula Regional Labor Federation Workers Memorial Day Memorial
UP Regional Labor Federation officers, members, and community partners will gather at Ludington Park to pay respect and tribute to workers who have lost their lives on the job. Afterward, there will be a groundbreaking ceremony for the Monument to Labor in Ludington Park.
WHEN: Thursday, April 28th at 1 PM
WHERE: Ludington Park, Lakeshore Drive, Escanaba, MI
Interview opportunities are available with event organizers and participants. For more information and to schedule, please contact Veronica Martinez at vmartinez@miaflcio.org.
The Michigan AFL-CIO, Michigan’s largest labor organization, is a federation representing forty different labor organizations, eighteen different central labor councils, and eight constituency groups representing over 1 million union members and their families.
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