Workers Memorial Day Event to Break Ground on National Memorial

Marking Workers Memorial Day 2008, CWA will join with other unions Monday, April 28, at the National Labor College in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., to break ground on a garden-style national memorial honoring fallen workers.

The memorial will feature bricks, pavers and benches that unions can sponsor to honor members who died on the job. Plans for a CWA section are underway and information about how locals and members can participate will be publicized soon.

The memorial will also honor the legacy of Mother Jones, the self-described hell-raiser who organized workers and fought for their health and safety during most of her 100-year life. Mother Jones, who died in 1930, is famous for her saying, "Pray for the dead, but fight like hell for the living."

The events at the labor college are among hundreds of events that union locals and labor councils will be holding throughout the country. CWA locals will take part in memorials and moments of silence. Some are submitting op-eds and letters to the editor to newspapers in their areas that seek to raise awareness about worker safety and health issues.

A toolkit to help locals plan activities, including a sample letter to the editor, is available on the AFL-CIO website at http://www.aflcio.org/issues/safety/memorial/.