To commemorate Workers’ Memorial Day on April 28th, the labor movement of New York City held an event in Foley Square, Manhattan, with union members, family members, and allies. The event was organized by the NYC Central Labor Council and the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH). The participants represented the full spectrum of organized labor in New York, from Local 3 IBEW, District Council 9 (IUPAT), Teamsters Local 804, RWDSU, NYSNA, as well as our allies in community organizations, immigrant rights’ groups, City Council, and the State Legislature. Local 3 ‘A’ journeyman and Sword of Light bagpiper Colm Connell closed out the ceremony, after the names of workers who died on the job in 2022-23 were read and each was commemorated with a red or white rose.
During the same week as Workers’ Memorial Day, the AFL-CIO released its 32nd annual report, “Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect,” which had key findings on the troubling rise in deaths on the job, particularly among Black and Latino workers, and the need for better enforcement. Earlier this year, NYCOSH released its annual “Deadly Skyline” report on safety outcomes in New York State’s construction industry. Both studies show that non-union workers and immigrant workers are more likely to work in deadly conditions.
