Organize & Mobilize for Safe Jobs
On April 28—Workers Memorial Day—those who have lost their lives or been injured on the job are honored by AFSCME and other unions throughout the United States and Canada.
April 28 also marks the anniversary of the day, in 1970, when Congress created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The agency was mandated to enforce workplace safety and health laws. The OSHA law also required private-sector employers to provide a safe environment for all workers.
Unfortunately, state and local government employees were not covered, unless states passed laws adopting OSHA programs. Only about a dozen have done so. Federal employees are covered under a separate Presidential Executive Order.
At least 547 AFSCME members have lost their lives on the job since the mid-1980s, when the union began keeping records. Learn more about OSHA by going to the “Health and Safety” section of afscme.org. Also, urge your lawmakers to co-sponsor the Protecting America's Workers Act (S. 1244 and H.R. 2049), which expands OSHA coverage to federal, state and local government employees.
