Workers Memorial Day, 2013

Vol. 78

Wednesday,

No. 84

May 1, 2013

Part III

The President

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Proclamation 8964--Workers Memorial Day, 2013

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 8964 of April 26, 2013

Workers Memorial Day, 2013

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Our country boasts the world's most talented, driven,
effective labor force. American workers power our homes
and feed our families. They raise skyscrapers,
transport goods to market, and manufacture products
that are the envy of the world. Together, they form the
backbone of our economy. As a Nation, we have an
obligation to protect the men and women who perform
these vital tasks. Yet tragically, thousands of
American workers die on the job each year, and millions
more suffer work-related injuries or illnesses. On
Workers Memorial Day, we honor them, and we reaffirm
that no one should have to put their life on the line
to bring home a paycheck.

At the turn of the 20th century, laborers faced
hazardous conditions. Factory doors were locked from
the outside, which prevented quick evacuation in
emergencies. A combination of shoddy equipment and
fatigue from long shifts made serious injury and death
all too common. Career-ending injuries often led to
poverty and starvation.

From mine shafts to railroads to factory floors,
workers began to speak out. Thanks to generations of
union organizers and advocates, conditions slowly
improved. But it was not until decades later that our
laws assured the right to a safe workplace. The Federal
Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 established
comprehensive health and safety standards for the
mining industry, and the Occupational Safety and Health
Act of 1970 enacted similar standards for all workers.
These statutes remain the cornerstone of our
protections today, and my Administration remains
committed to enforcing them by ensuring workers know
their rights, worksites comply with the law, and
wrongdoers are held accountable.

Today, our thoughts and prayers are with all those who
have lost a loved one to a workplace accident or work-
related illness. But we owe them more than prayers. We
owe them action and accountability. While we cannot
eliminate all risk from the world's most dangerous
professions, we can guarantee that when a worker steps
up to an assembly line or into a mine shaft, their
country stands alongside them, protecting their safety
and their stake in the American dream.

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, 2013, 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-sixth day of April, in the year of our Lord two
thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
seventh.