Today is Workers Memorial Day. This is the holiday that unions and union supporters all around the world remember those people who were unfortunate enough to have died or had a serious injury or illness done to them through unsafe working conditions. It is also the anniversary of the creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the government agency that is supposed to make sure that workplaces are safe. In 2003, Governor Granholm declared Workers Memorial Day a State holiday.
The creation of OSHA has resulted in saving the lives of over 349,000 workers through government protection. Unfortunately it hasn't been strong enough.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 5,734 people died from workplace injury, 50,000-60,000 were killed from occupational diseases, and 4.2 million workers were injured in just 2005 alone.
Unfortunately in the Bush Administration, OSHA has become apathetic to the protection of workers. They have deregulated safety rules that they deem "too expensive" for business, declaring that the bottom line is more important than the safety for the American worker.
Unions have long fought for the protection of the American work force. It was because of them that OSHA was created in 1970, They've exposed occupational diseases such as black and brown lung, and include safety regulations in their bargaining agreements. They've fought for the 40 hour work week and for child labor laws. Today they're leading the fight for stronger enforcement of safety regulations in business, the right to have a job that pays a fair wage, and the protection of the American worker from exploitation by greedy corporate overlords.
So today, let's mourn for those that died, fight like hell for the living, and celebrate the unions that have made our country the great bastion of freedom it is (for a list of memorials taking place in your area, click here).
I'll close this diary by playing a song from Street Dogs called Unions and the Law:
