WORKERS’ MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY

A wreath was placed on the Memorial for Workers in a recent ceremony at the Workers’ Memorial Park on River Drive in Wausau (next to the Farmers’ Market).

There was a moment of silence for the workers killed in the recent helicopter crash as well as for people affected by the explosion in Superior, Wisconsin.

Randy Radtke, president of the Marathon County Central Labor Council, gave opening remarks. Mayor Robert Mielke spoke on the importance of safety for all workers. Joel Lewis of Citizen Action and member of OPEIU Local 9 read a resolution from Senator Tammy Baldwin for improved worker safety.

Nancy Stencil (member of AFSCME) and Joel Lewis read the names of fallen workers in Marathon County since 1944. Sixty-eight people lost their life on the job in the past 74 years.

The Workers’ Memorial Garden is maintained by local union members. Joel Lewis and his wife Melissa Engels-Lewis plant flowers. Gerhard and Virginia Kirsch volunteer to week the garden through the summer.

Workers’ Memorial Day was officially formed on April 28, 1971 and continues to be honored on the last Saturday in April.

OSHA (Occupation Safety and Health Administration was signed into law by President Nixon on Dec. 29, 1970. It is an agency of U.S. Department of Labor.

OSHA develops safe and healthy working conditions for all workers through training, outreach, education and assistance. It also inspects workplaces for safety and health conditions.

---