Workers Memorial Day, 2012

Proclamation 8805 of April 27, 2012

Workers Memorial Day, 2012

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

For centuries, American workers have called upon
boundless drive and initiative to raise our cities,
manufacture our goods, and build an economy that
remains the engine and the envy of the world.
Generations put their lives on the line to pursue
prosperity, braving the hazards of the factory floor
and the heat of the fields without protective equipment
or the right to a safe workplace. Through the unbending
conviction of workers, labor unions, and public health
advocates, we secured that basic right over 40 years
ago, helping protect Americans from death or injury.
Yet, despite the progress we have made, it remains a
deplorable fact that an average of 12 individuals die
on the job every day. On Workers Memorial Day, we honor
all who have perished, and we recommit to ensuring no
worker ever has to choose between life and a paycheck.

Every year, more than 3 million Americans are injured
on the job. Some will never fully recover; some will
never come home at all. Tragically, many incidents
occur due to preventable hazards that cast our Nation's
most vulnerable workers into harm's way--in the mine
shaft, on the construction site, or at the factory.
This is unacceptable, and as we reflect on the terrible
burden these workers and their families have borne, we
must do more to fulfill the promise of a safe workplace
for all.

My Administration remains committed to realizing that
vision. The Department of Labor and agencies across the
Federal Government are striving to defend workers'
rights, hold employers accountable, and empower
Americans across our country with the tools they need
to stay safe on the job. We are pursuing enhanced
whistleblower protections that will reinforce every
worker's right to raise their voice without fear of
retaliation. Over 2 years after the explosion at Upper
Big Branch Mine in West Virginia, we continue to
advance and enforce new standards and programs that
will help ensure that tragedy was the last of its kind.
And, through a variety of public-private partnerships,
we are collaborating with businesses, employees, trade
associations, and labor organizations to eliminate
workplace hazards and strengthen our competitiveness in
the global economy.

When the Congress passed the Federal Coal Mine Health
and Safety Act of 1969 and the Occupational Safety and
Health Act of 1970, our Nation took great strides
toward safe and healthful working conditions for all.
Yet, when millions of Americans suffer workplace-
related injury or illness every year, and thousands
lose their lives, we know we cannot give up the fight.
Today, we reflect on their sacrifice, and we rededicate
ourselves to protecting the health, safety, and dignity
of every worker.

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, 2012, 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 twelve, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
sixth.