“Pray for the dead, and fight like hell for the living.”
A lot has changed for the better in the many years since iconic labor activist Mother Jones issued this rallying cry. But still today, hundreds of people every day die from work-related illness or injury, doing nothing more than trying to support their families and build a better life.
As we continue the struggle, please read and share my statement this Workers Memorial Day.
Every bit of progress on worker safety has come because unions have demanded it. When workers band together and organize, they have the power in numbers to protect themselves and each other. Safety is one of the main reasons AFSCME is working so hard to address staffing shortages in public service.
The union difference can be the difference between personal safety and grave illness or injury, even between life and death.
Let’s fight like hell together – just like Mother Jones asked us to.
Together, let’s make Workers Memorial Day a day of remembrance and a day of action.
In solidarity,
Lee Saunders
President
