BENWOOD, W.Va. — Sunday marks another Workers Memorial Day in the United States.
On April 28, unions of the AFL-CIO observe the day as a way to remember those who have become ill, hurt or died while on the job. Union members not just in West Virginia but all across the country choose the day to honor lost workers and also call for a safe work environment for all.
More than 50 years ago, the Occupational Safety and Health Act went into effect, creating Workers Memorial Day, with a mission of promising every worker the right to a safe job, viewed as a fundamental right.
“We must fight and continue to push forward to organize a safer workplace,” said Andy Walters, Secretary Treasurer of the West Virginia AFL-CIO. “A safe job is a fundamental right.”
Sonny Oakland, President of Marshall, Wetzel, Tyler Central Labor Council, says they will always remember the ones who were killed or hurt from a workplace hazard and continue to push for better workplace safety laws.
“It’s a right to go to work but it is also a right to come home safe,” said Oakland.
The West Virginia AFL-CIO took the time Sunday to read the names and ring a bell for the 20 West Virginia women and men who lost their lives in the workplace last year at the 36th annual Workers Memorial Ceremony. The event was put on by the Marshall, Wetzel, Tyler Central Labor Council. The ceremony took place in Benwood, WV, where the tragic Benwood Mine Disaster happened 100 years ago.
“We’re here to honor those who have gone before us through their sacrifice,” Oakland said.
On April 28, 1924, two explosions claimed the lives of 119 men at the Wheeling Steel & Iron Corporation mine in Benwood . There were no survivors. To this day, it is still the third worst mining disaster in the history of West Virginia.
The Benwood Mine Disaster Memorial is made up of three large stones that stand at the Boggs Run Road site to commemorate the 119 coal miners killed in the explosion.
The AFL-CIO hopes one of these years that they won’t have to see workers die while on the job.
“It’s the wish of the AFL-CIO to have a year where we won’t have to ring the bell,” said Oakland.
The keynote speaker for Sunday’s ceremony in Benwood was United Mine Workers of America International President Cecil Roberts. He said the labor movement has been a huge driving force in the United States for many years.
“The safest jobs in America have a union,” Roberts said.
According to Roberts, 14 people die every day in the United States while on the job. When it comes to occupational illness, around 100,000 people die in a year in the country. Roberts said the fight will always continue to make sure every worker in America has a safe place to do their business.
“It’s black lung, it’s brown lung, it’s white lung, it’s cancer,” he said. “We’re going to honor those who’ve passed but we need to learn from what happened too.”