On April 28, local workers, union members, and community leaders will gather outside the North Carolina State Capitol to mark Workers Memorial Day, renew the call for strong safety protections, and remember workers who have died or suffered illness or injuries while on the job.
At the interfaith press conference and solemn memorial service, participants will toll a bell 189 times – once for each person in North Carolina who died while working for a better life in 2020, the most recent year for which the full death toll is known, the AFL-CIO says in an advisory statement.
The labor movement has always helped lead the charge to protect working people from workplace injury, illness, and death. This April 28, union members, community leaders, and allies across the country will observe this day by coming together to call on employers and our government for workplace protections from COVID-19, violence, heat illness, and other occupational hazards.
“For the first time in over 20 years, the North Carolina Department of Labor will participate in the event,” the statement said. “Commissioner Josh Dobson and NC State AFL-CIO President MaryBe McMillan will discuss ways they will work together to advocate for workplace safety. Rev. Jennifer Copeland of the NC Council of Churches and Rabbi Eric Solomon of Beth Meyer Synagogue will offer prayers for workers and their families. Surviving family members of people who died on the job are invited to share their stories at the service and reflect on those they have lost.”