To the Journal editor:

More than 50 years ago, Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act, promising every worker the right to a safe job. Working people have fought hard to make that promise a reality–winning protections that have made jobs safer and saved thousands of lives.

Each day, 340 American workers die from preventable on-the-job injuries and illnesses, while millions more suffer injury or illness. This number does not include the thousands of lives lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which exacerbated disparities among workers of color that have been present for decades. Black, Latino and immigrant workers face disproportionate exposures to many job safety and health hazards. These workers hold some of the most dangerous jobs without protections, and experience exploitation and retaliation by their employers. Immigration status and lack of union representation make workers especially vulnerable to unsafe working conditions. Employers’ increased use of temporary workers and independent contractors, and misclassification of employees as contractors, deprives workers of protections and has made it more difficult to hold employers accountable for meeting their responsibilities.

On this Workers Memorial Day, April 28 at 1:00 PM working people in our community will gather at the Municipal Dock in Ludington Park in Escanaba to commemorate our brothers and sisters who have lost their lives and livelihoods due to workplace injury or illness, and to demand stronger safety protections on the job. Immediately following the remembrance ceremony, there will also be a groundbreaking event for the new Monument to Labor that will be built at that site.

It is critical for workplace safety agencies to hold employers accountable and increase enforcement efforts to protect the safety and health of all workers, especially those targeted for speaking up against unsafe conditions. UP working families and their unions are speaking up for safe workplaces. We will fight for the fundamental right to a safe job until that promise is fulfilled for all.

CAJSA MAKI MANNILA

Marquette