CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Although the ceremony was virtual, the meaning was no less impactful for organized labor in West Virginia on Wednesday. Officials with the West Virginia AFL-CIO conducted the annual Workers Memorial Day ceremony from their headquarters in Charleston. Due t the pandemic the ceremony was broadcast on Facebook Live.
West Virginia AFL-CIO President Josh Sword noted the ceremony marked the 50th Anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Act taking effect.
“It promised every worker the right to a safe job. The law was won because of the tireless efforts of the Labor Movement which organized for safer working conditions and demanded government action,” said Sword.
During 2020 17 workers were killed in workplace related incidents. Each of the names was read and a bell tolled in their memory as part of the ceremony. Those victims were:
Mark Horwich, Spencer, W.Va.
Benjamin Malone, Pennsboro, W.Va.
James Campbell, French Creek, W.Va.
Keilee Sparks, Lavalette, W.Va.
Phillip Cobb, Buffalo, W.Va.
Charles Crumbley, Parkersburg, W.Va.
Kristopher Cline, Shepherdstown, W.Va.
Russel Roberson, Iaeger, W.Va.
Michael Arbogast Sr., Maysville, W.Va.
Richard Todd, Wallace, W.Va.
Thomas Payne, Philippi, W.Va.
Taylor Halstead, Madison, W.Va.
Cassie Johnson, Cross Lanes, W.Va.
John Gillenwater II, Hurricane, W.Va.
Dorothy Nelson Whitmer, W.Va.
Logan Young Winchester, Va.
Dale Cassel, Jr. Shady Spring, W.Va.
Officials noted Cassell died in another state, but was remembered because he was from West Virginia.
Sword said now as much as ever, workplace safety is at the forefront of the nation’s conscious and should never be far from anyone’s mind.
“The Covid 19 pandemic highlight the connection between workplace safety and the health of our communities,” he said.
“The pandemic also exposed the lack of resources and accountability for OSHA and MSHA to insure workers are protected on the job. Workplace safety agencies have been hollowed out with a reduction in staff and a stagnant budget,” Sword added.
Sword used the opportunity to call on Congress to renew a promise to keep the nation’s workers protected on the job.