Workers’ Memorial Day: National Workers Memorial Unveiled

The ceremony will feature OSHA Administrator David Michaels; Liz Shuler, secretary-treasurer of AFL-CIO; and United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) President Cecil Roberts. The ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. ET at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Md.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of miners in West Virginia,” said Dr. Paula Peinovich, president of the National Labor College. “Sadly, thousands of workers lose their lives in American workplaces each year. The National Labor College will honor these men and women on Workers’ Memorial Day – and join with U.S. labor movement in advocating for better working conditions to prevent future tragedies.”

The ceremony will include the unveiling of the National Workers Memorial, a new monument to fallen workers. The Memorial features granite benches and bricks placed by family members and union brothers and sisters in honor of those who lost their lives on the job.

Workers’ Memorial Day, observed in the United States and Canada and around the world, is an international day of mourning in honor of workers who have lost their lives on the job. The National Workers Memorial will honor thousands of workers who were the victims of workplace accidents in transportation, construction, manufacturing and other industries.