Lexington Herald-Leader: On Workers Memorial Day, remember the labor unions that fought to make work safer | Opinion

Berry Craig

26 Apr, 2023

By BERRY CRAIG

Since 1989, AFL-CIO unions have observed April 28 as Workers Memorial Day because the Occupational Safety and Health Administration began on that day in 1971.

Unions also hold services “to remember workers killed, injured, or made ill on the job and to renew the fight for strong safety and health protections,” according to the AFL-CIO.

Unions took the lead in championing OSHA, which has done much to improve worker safety and health for all workers. But the AFL-CIO says more needs to be done. “Each year, thousands of workers are killed, and millions more suffer injury and illness because of dangerous working conditions that are preventable.”