Washington, DC - ATU International President Larry Hanley issued the following statement in observance of Workers' Memorial Day.
"All of us in the labor movement will take a moment today to honor the memory of fellow union and nonunion employees who lost their lives doing their jobs. Some of those we honor fell doing heroic work as firefighters, police officers, and emergency employees. There are no words that can express the depth of our respect and gratitude for them and their families.
"All too often, however, workers die needlessly because employers cut corners, and stop following the regulations that are supposed to protect their employees from danger.
"Some legislators are now advocating rolling back the laws that mandate these regulations to increase employer profits – worker safety be damned. This has to stop.
"Transit workers are at risk too, as operators are now subjected to an ever-increasing onslaught of deadly assaults.
"And, because they are legally exempt from paying overtime, interstate bus companies feel free to overwork their low-paid drivers causing the driver fatigue that leads to injury and death on our highways.
"At ATU we fight unceasingly to protect our members and the public we serve.
"No one should have to live in fear that they might die at work. This Workers’ Memorial Day we renew our commitment to fight for a safe workplace for all, and a decreasing number of workers who lose their lives on the job."