Today is Workers Memorial Day

(via the AFT)

More than 50 years ago on April 28, Workers Memorial Day, the Occupational Safety and Health Act went into effect, promising every worker the right to a safe job—a fundamental right. The law was won because of the tireless efforts of the labor movement, which organized for safer working conditions and demanded action from the government to protect working people. Since then, unions and our allies have fought hard to make that promise a reality—winning protections that have made jobs safer and saved lives. But our work is not done. Each year, thousands of workers are killed and millions more suffer injury and illness because of dangerous working conditions that are preventable.

Together on this Workers Memorial Day, we raise our collective voices to win stronger safety and health protections in our workplaces and stronger job safety and health laws. We hold our employers accountable to keep workers safe. We demand action on critical safety and health protections against preventable workplace hazards: heat illness, workplace violence, infectious diseases, and chemical exposures. We demand more resources from Congress for our nation's job safety agencies to hold employers accountable. We demand dignity at work. We will organize and fight for the fundamental right of every worker to a safe job until that promise is fulfilled.