OPINION: Fighting for safe workplaces on Worker Memorial Day

April 28 is Workers Memorial Day. It is a day when working families, union members and labor leaders come together to remember each worker killed, injured or sickened on the job. The somber underpinnings of this important holiday drive us to fight for a brighter future — a future where every worker feels safe on the job, a future where the promises of politicians and government agencies become reality.

Alaska has remained one of the most dangerous states to work in for years. Some say it’s the nature of our economy or the harsh surroundings of our state. From the fisherman who brave harsh open sea conditions to the laborer installing guard rails on the side of a busy highway, Alaska workers go above and beyond to accomplish their work, even if it jeopardizes their safety. Should we accept this as normal? While the fortitude and grit of our workforce are renowned, we must rebuff complacency and do more to protect working people on the job.

Each day, more than 340 people across the United States die from on-the-job injuries and illnesses, impacting their families’ lives and livelihoods on top of insurmountable losses. In 2023, Alaska saw an airman stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a contract construction worker working on the bridge removal at the Twentymile River, and three Alaska Department of Natural Resources employees all die in workplace accidents. These are just a few Alaskans who never returned home from work last year.

More than 50 years ago, Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act, promising every worker the right to a safe job. Working people have fought hard to make that promise a reality — winning protections that have made jobs safer and saved thousands of lives.

Last week, workers successfully lobbied for stronger protections against silica dust exposure in mines. The U.S. Department of Labor responded by lowering permissible exposure during an eight-hour shift in the mines.

Workers and their unions are standing up, speaking out, fighting back, and organizing. We won’t stop until the Occupational Safety and Health Administration protects all workers — until we have more robust standards to protect against harmful exposures and dangerous conditions, improved anti-retaliation protections, and so much more. The interests and safety of working families must be written into local, state, and federal law and championed by public officials at all levels of government.

Alaska’s working families and its unions are speaking out for our fundamental right to a safe job. We must continue to fight to protect our job safety rights from rollbacks and political attacks and renew the call for safer working conditions.

Joelle Hall is the executive director of the Alaska AFL-CIO.

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