As we observe Workers Memorial Day on April 28 to remember those who have suffered and died on the job, AFGE and the entire labor movement renew our commitment to defend the right of every worker to have a safe job. We also demand that elected officials put workers’ well-being above corporate interests.
This fight is urgent. Why? Because every day, 150 working men and women die of their work, never to return home to their families and loved ones.
In 2016 alone, nearly 5,200 workers were killed on the job—the highest number of workplace deaths in years. But that is only a part of the deadly toll. Each year, more than 50,000 workers die from occupational diseases caused by exposures to toxic chemicals and other health hazards.
Workplace deaths and injuries that are as common as they are horrific should be the long-gone legacy of a 19th century textile mill. But they remain a terrifying reality today.
Even though we’ve made progress on workplace safety the past several years, with the new Congress and administration, our hard-won gains are now being taken away.
The progress we’ve made
Since the job safety laws were passed more than four decades ago, we’ve made great progress in making workplaces safer and protecting workers. Fewer workers are being killed and injured on the job. We won new rules to protect workers from deadly silica dust, a stronger coal dust standard for miners, and stronger measures to protect workers who report job injuries from retaliation.
This progress didn’t just happen because laws were passed. It happened because workers and their unions organized, fought and demanded action from employers and their government.
It is working people, through their unions, who demanded and won stronger standards to protect workers from asbestos, benzene and other hazards.
But all these hard-won gains are now threatened
The Trump administration has launched an all-out assault on safety protections for workers. Here’s what they’ve done so far:
What you can do to raise awareness of workplace safety on Workers Memorial Day
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has officially walked back its plan to lay off more than 80,000 employees as part of the Elon Musk-led “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) initiative.
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In a significant decision impacting the federal workforce, the Supreme Court lifted lower-court injunctions, enabling the current administration to proceed with its controversial plans for mass layoffs and restructuring of federal agencies.
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In a late-breaking development, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has granted a temporary administrative stay of the preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of Executive Order 14251.
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