It’s not too much to ask to be safe at work. In fact, the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1971 says every worker has a fundamental right to a safe work environment.
And yet there are still too many avoidable accidents. Too many injuries. And way too many deaths.
In 2024, the most recent full year of data available, . And about 135,000 died from occupational diseases not including COVID-19.
“On Workers Memorial Day, we mourn the loss of all those who have died, been seriously injured or made ill while on the job. Going to work and earning a paycheck to support your family should not be hazardous to your health. Unfortunately, every year, thousands of families receive the devastating news that their loved one died or was seriously injured on the job, often because of a preventable workplace hazard,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders.
Saunders said the administration has weakened worker protections by cutting funding for inspections and enforcement. Stronger safeguards against extreme heat for those who work outside, like sanitation and highway workers, have not been approved, and those in health care, corrections and other fields continue to face unacceptable high rates of workplace violence, he said.
“These reckless decisions put more workers in harm’s way and make tragedies like the ones we commemorate today more likely. That’s why we’re organizing for stronger workplace protections — such as heat standards and workplace violence regulations — so sanitation workers, nurses, behavioral health workers, paramedics, corrections officers, and other public service workers can do their jobs without risking preventable injury or death. AFSCME members and all workers deserve a government that mandates and enforces strong worker safety protections,” Saunders said.
In 2026, anti-labor extremists are pursuing harmful policies and budget cuts that would allow employers to cut corners on worker safety.
For example, the federal agency responsible for workplace safety, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), last year had the lowest number of inspectors and smallest staff in the history of the agency. This contributed to a huge drop in OSHA’s efforts to protect workers on the job. During the first nine months of 2025, w. Eroding federal oversight and replacing mandatory compliance programs with voluntary ones is a dangerous trend.
In an especially aggressive anti-union move, the administration has also said unionized workplaces won’t be prioritized for investigations into safety, wage theft and other labor enforcement.
These attacks only make AFSCME members fight harder for improved safety programs and stronger enforcement.
A much-needed update to the World Trade Center Health Program
Workers Memorial Day is also a time to reflect on the Sept. 11 attacks and how AFSCME members fought for a program that helps with ongoing medical costs related to the destruction and cleanup of the World Trade Center site in New York.
This year, we celebrate the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act, which was signed into law in February after bipartisan congressional efforts secured full funding through 2090 for the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP).
More than 137,000 first responders and survivors have received treatment through that program, with 3,000 enrollees added each quarter. Prior legislation had not accounted for rising enrollment and medical costs.
The collapse of the World Trade Center generated billowing clouds that left lower Manhattan covered in ash, debris, and a fine, lingering airborne soup of toxic particles. AFSCME District Council 37 (DC 37) emergency workers, paramedics and chaplains were among the first responders to lose their lives that day, along with firefighters and police.
In the months that followed, DC 37 was instrumental in bringing together a multi-union task force that pushed for official acknowledgement, identification and treatment of 9/11-related diseases.
Members of DC 37 and AFSCME pressured the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to investigate health impacts to first responders and survivors. They urged Congress to pass legislation covering treatment for those who would become ill due to their exposure to the disaster. After 25 years, those efforts were finally secured by passage of the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act.
We fight for workplace protections at the state level
In response to federal rollbacks on worker safety, AFSCME members are helping states lead the way by establishing strong new safety protections for workers.
For example, in 2025, Illinois enacted the Workers’ Rights and Worker Safety Act, preserving worker protections established under certain federal statutes regardless of federal rollbacks, including OSHA, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and Coal Mine Health and Safety Act. In 2026, Colorado and Rhode Island introduced similar legislation in response to federal rollbacks.
AFSCME members were also instrumental in establishing heat illness guidance this year for employers in Arizona.
AFSCME members are leading efforts all over the country through advocating protective legislation, bargaining strong contracts or organizing members across sectors around health and safety:
- Kaiser Permanente health care professionals in California and Hawaii won robust contracts this year, including provisions for stronger staffing, after going on a historic strike;
- AFSCME library members in Washington state held a summit last year to address pressing health and safety concerns, such as workplace violence;
- AFSCME members in Texas this year defended workplace protections for pregnant and postpartum corrections.
This Workers Memorial Day, we take inspiration from the AFSCME members around the country who serve their communities with dedication and skill, and stand together to fight for respect, dignity and safety all workers deserve.