Community to Memorialize Dead NC Workers at Press Conference 10:30 AM Tuesday (4/28) in Raleigh
Advisory for Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Contact: Jeremy Sprinkle, NC State AFL-CIO, [email protected] // 336-255-2711
Unions, Advocates, and Community to Memorialize NC Workers who died on the Job at Press Conference 10:30 AM Tuesday, April 28 in Raleigh
North Carolinians to call for further safety measures and greater accountability from NC Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry
RALEIGH, N.C. – On Tuesday morning, Raleigh workers, advocates, community members, and faith leaders will gather at 7 W. Lenoir Street, near the site of a deadly construction accident last month in downtown Raleigh, to memorialize workers who have died or suffered illness or injury on the job.
Who: AFL-CIO, Student Action with Farmworkers, NC Council of Churches, Farm Labor Organizing Committee, and NC Justice Center
What: International Workers’ Memorial Day press conference, followed by march and letter delivery to Commissioner of Labor Cherie Berry
When: 10:30 AM Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Where:7 W. Lenoir St., Raleigh, NC 27601 -- near the site of the crane collapse that killed three workers and injured another in downtown Raleigh last month.
Why: Workers’ Memorial Day is an international day of remembrance for workers who have lost their lives on the job, as 109 North Carolina workers did in 2013. Please join us for a press conference and memorial observance in which we will record the names of those who died and call on the NC Department of Labor to do more to protect workers here from death and injury on the job.
As recently reported by the News & Observer, dozens of North Carolina workers die each year with little or no notice from state officials -- no questions asked, no reforms demanded, and no fines levied -- and 79 percent of deaths in 2013 went unreported by Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry, who hasn’t sought advice from her OSHA advisory council for five years running.
When workers die on the job, their deaths should count for something, especially to their Labor Commissioner. Every worker’s death ought to be counted and accurately reported. And as the law requires Berry to convene her OSHA advisory council twice a year, she ought to obey the law.
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The North Carolina State AFL-CIO is the largest association of local unions and union councils in North Carolina, representing union members, fighting for good jobs, safe workplaces, workers’ rights, consumer protections, and quality public services on behalf of ALL working families. PO Box 10805, Raleigh, NC 27605.