Workers Memorial Day Materials Available from AFL-CIO

Materials to help locals prepare for Workers Memorial Day 2008 are available online from the AFL-CIO, and CWA is encouraging union leaders and safety and health activists to use them.

Workers Memorial Day, which falls on April 28 this year, is an opportunity to focus attention on workplace safety and honor the thousands of workers killed annually and the countless others injured and sickened on the job. Over the last year, CWA has lost four members in workplace fatalities.

The theme of this year's event is "Good Jobs — Safe Jobs For All." A flier, poster, proclamation and clip art, in English and Spanish, can be downloaded from http://www.aflcio.org/issues/safety/memorial/. The federation is also asking activists to fill out an event form online so your local's activities can be counted and possibly featured. For help planning an event, contact CWA Health and Safety Director Dave LeGrande at legrande@cwa-union.org or by phone at (202) 434-1100.

Closer to the day itself, the AFL-CIO will be issuing its annual study, "Death on the Job," which examines deaths, injuries and illness by occupation, state and cause. It also looks at the federal government's track record on issuing workplace safety standards and OSHA's record on enforcing or ignoring safety laws.