Workers Memorial Day, 2011

Proclamation 8658 of April 27, 2011

Workers Memorial Day, 2011

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Every year in America, nearly four million workers
suffer an occupational injury or illness, and thousands
die from work-related injuries. These preventable
tragedies disable workers, devastate families, and
erode our economy. On Workers Memorial Day, we
celebrate the improvements in American workplaces and
remember those who have been injured, sickened, or
killed on the job. This year, we also recognize the
40th anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration, and we pay tribute to all those who
have dedicated their lives to ensuring safety in the
workplace.

The protections working Americans enjoy today were not
easily gained. They had to be won by generations of
courageous men and women, fighting to secure decent
working conditions, standing up for those most
vulnerable, and sometimes risking their own economic
security and lives. One century ago in New York City,
nearly 150 young garment workers either burned or
jumped to their deaths when a fire ignited in the
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. This senseless tragedy
inspired a movement, calling Americans to pay attention
to workplace conditions and bestowing a new relevance
on the importance of unions. Organized labor has
continued to give voice to millions of working men and
women by representing their views and fighting for good
working conditions and fair wages.

Until 1970, many Americans still did not have the legal
right to a safe workplace, and many employers were not
legally obligated to control hazards. The Federal Coal
Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 and the Occupational
Safety and Health Act of 1970 fundamentally changed
American workplaces. These laws provided workers the
right to safe and healthy workplaces, ensured workers
were protected from dangerous conditions, and provided
protections to employees who reported safety and health
hazards.

In the four decades since those landmark laws were
enacted, we have seen great progress in conditions for
working Americans. Federal agencies are helping reduce
workplace injury rates and control exposure to deadly
hazards by using research on injury and illness
causation, implementing common sense standards, and
promoting cooperative programs. The Department of Labor
is continuing to enforce and improve our workplace
safety regulations and is partnering with the
Department of Justice to make sure the full force of
the law is brought to bear in cases where workers are
put in harm's way. Many of our Nation's employers have
embraced exemplary worker injury and illness prevention
programs--efforts that exceed Federal safety and health
standards. Together, these improvements have fostered
innovation, increased productivity, and bolstered
competitiveness while saving countless lives in the
process.

On Workers Memorial Day, we reflect on the vital
achievements of the past and recommit to keeping all
workers safe and healthy in the future. We owe nothing
less to the countless working Americans who have built
and shaped our Nation, and to those who have lost their
lives or been injured on the job.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim April 28, 2011, as
Workers Memorial Day. I call upon all Americans to
participate in ceremonies and activities in memory of
those killed or injured due to unsafe working
conditions.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord
two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
fifth.