Latest news with #WorkersMemorialDay
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Second Harvest Food Bank hosts 34th annual Break Box Awards
Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania took the afternoon to acknowledge and thank all of their fundraisers. The food bank held its 34th annual Bread Box Awards at its warehouse on Wednesday. Dozen gather in Perry Square to honor Workers Memorial Day The luncheon celebrated groups and organizations that took the 2023/2024 fiscal year to host fundraisers and food drives for the food bank. The Bread Box Award is a rotating trophy that is presented to one group for the most outstanding project of the year. EUMA closes chapter on 13th season of Our Neighbors' Place 'This year's winner is West Advisory Group. They've been a tremendous partner of Second Harvest throughout the years. They do a plethora of different fundraisers, food drives, besides those sorts of things, they really help tell our story in the community as well, they are tremendous partners of Second Harvest,' said Greg Hall, CEO of the Second Harvest Food Bank. Hall said they have amazing support from all over Northwest Pennsylvania. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
3 worker health and safety bills to watch at Rhode Island State House
Matt Dunham, president of Table Game Dealers Laborers Local 711, walks toward the State House steps on April 29, 2025. In his hand are his prepared remarks to push state lawmakers to end the exemption from the state's indoor smoking ban at Rhode Island's two casinos. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) About 30 union leaders, workers, and advocates gathered on the State House steps Tuesday afternoon to hold a moment of silence to honor those who lost their lives on the job for Workers Memorial Day. But before that moment of silence, labor leaders used a megaphone to speak out against workplace hazards, which Rhode Island AFL-CIO President Patrick Crowley said, claim an average of 385 U.S. workers every day. Rhode Island AFL-CIO priorities Smoking ban in RI casinos (S188 | H5464) Extreme temperature worker protections (S586 | H5305) Ban on captive audience meetings (S126 | H5506) 'It's not really great to have to think about how dangerous it is to work in America,' Crowley told the crowd. Union leaders want state leaders to strike now on a trio of bills they say will ensure more workers can be protected from physical dangers as well as anti-union messaging. Among those priorities: ending the exemption from the state's indoor smoking ban at Rhode Island's two casinos. 'We've known for decades that smoking kills,' Crowley said. 'That's why it's important that we pass legislation to ban smoking in these casinos.' Matt Dunham, president of Table Game Dealers Laborers Local 711, said the local's 600 workers have to endure second-hand smoke every time they enter Bally's Lincoln and Tiverton facilities. 'They're tired of going to work each day wondering if they're putting their future health on the line to put food on the table tonight,' Dunham said. Workers have made the push to end Bally's exemption for years, only to be stalled at the committee level. But that changed after House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi allowed a symbolic committee vote to advance the proposal at the end of the 2024 legislative session. Shekarchi is now one of the 10 cosponsors listed on the latest edition of the bill to end the exemption the casinos have from the state's indoor smoking ban. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Teresa Tanzi, a South Kingstown Democrat and has the backing of 55 of the chamber's 75 members. The House Committee on Finance held an initial hearing on Tanzi's bill on April 10, when it was held for further study — as is standard practice for a first look by a legislative panel. In the Senate, however, passage of a smoking ban has faced repeated roadlocks. The late Senate President Dominick Ruggerio had been a staunch opponent of such legislation, citing concerns it could decrease revenue. The chamber's new majority leader Frank Ciccone, a Providence Democrat, has expressed the same concern. But newly-elected Senate President Valarie Lawson, an East Providence Democrat, said she personally supports the measure, chamber spokesperson Greg Paré confirmed in an email Wednesday. 'But it is also her understanding that the parties are working together towards a resolution that would not require legislation,' Paré said in an email. 'At the same time, the legislation will undergo the normal, public committee review process.' Legislation introduced Feb. 7 by Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski, a South Kingstown Democrat, has yet to be scheduled for a hearing before the Senate Committee on Labor and Gaming. Union leaders believe the state also needs to act on companion bills that would establish standards for working in extreme heat and cold. Katarina Ezikovich, an organizer with SEIU 1199NE, knows firsthand the dangers workers face during extreme heat. A lab technician at Women & Infants Hospital, she recalled how the hospital's HVAC system failed over the winter. The kitchen staff felt the impact first. 'People were as red as the potatoes they roasted. They sweated more than the onions. Haute cuisine had nothing on the flambé that our employees were becoming,' Ezikovich said. 'The puns here might be funny, but what wasn't funny was our employer's response.' Ezikovich claimed hospital administrators advised workers to drink Gatorade and take extra breaks. Care New England spokesperson Raina Smith said the hospital network is aware of the concerns raised by union workers and that a temporary HVAC solution has been in place since mid-February. 'We remain committed to transparency and to upholding the highest standards of safety, quality, and respect for every member of our hospital community,' she said in an emailed statement. But Ezikovich said the hospital has not fixed the problem and that their bosses' solutions have been nothing more than 'a Band-Aid on a gaping, gushing wound.' 'You can only take so many breaks before returning to a hellfire work site,' she said. Union leaders believe such issues can be mitigated under companion bills by Rep. David Morales, a Providence Democrat, and Sen. Lou DiPalma, a Middletown Democrat. Their legislation would require employers to provide workers with adequate heating and cooling equipment, access to paid rest breaks, along with training to recognize and mitigate heat and cold-related risks. Morales' bill received its initial committee hearing Feb. 12, while DiPalma's bill had its first review by a Senate panel on March 12. Both bills were held for further study. Rhode Island labor leaders are also targeting an end to so-called 'captive audience meetings' — mandatory employer gatherings where workers are required to hear company views on religion, politics, or unions. Such meetings are allegedly used by employers to convince their workers that they'd be better off without a union, said Teamsters Local 251 organizer Patrick Leonard. 'They'll pull workers on the shop floor into a conference room, close the door behind them, outnumber them with management and tell them this is a voluntary meeting.' he told the crowd. A growing number of states have begun to ban such meetings, including Connecticut in 2022. Captive audience meetings were deemed unlawful by the National Labor Relations Board in November 2024. Rhode Island's Senate has already passed such legislation earlier in April. The bill sponsored by Sen. Matthew LaMountain, a Warwick Democrat, would prohibit employers from punishing or firing workers who choose not to attend meetings or read messages where the company shares its views on religion or politics. Workers who believe they were unfairly disciplined or fired would be allowed to sue their employer to get their job back, receive financial compensation, and have their legal fees covered. Leonard said codifying such protections would give workers reassurance that they can hold onto their own beliefs without risk of being fired. LaMountain's bill is before the House where companion legislation by Rep. Robert Craven, a North Kingstown Democrat, was held for further study by the chamber's Committee on Labor on April 2. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'It feels hollow': Advocates frustrated by lack of state action to prevent workplace deaths
CHEYENNE – Workplace advocates rallied Monday for Wyoming's state and federal lawmakers to end the state's right-to-work policies and shift to a pro-union state during a Workers Memorial Day event at the state Capitol. For the past 20 years, Wyoming has consistently placed among the top five states in the nation for highest workplace fatality rates, according to the Wyoming AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations). Total workplace fatalities rose from 34 in 2022 to 45 in 2023 in Wyoming, the highest recorded number of deaths in a single year in the state for at least a decade, according to the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services. Wyoming had the highest workplace facility rate in the nation in 2023, with 16 deaths per 100,000 employees, according to AFL-CIO. This is nearly double the second-highest rate in the country: West Virginia's 8.3 deaths per 100,000 employees. 'Everything you remember tonight represents not just a statistic, but a universe, a web of relationships, dreams, morning coffee rituals, favorite songs and loved ones who still fill the empty space at their dinner tables,' said Wyoming AFL-CIO Executive Director Marcie Kindred. 'Behind every workplace fatality lies a story that was cut short, too.' Workers Memorial Day lands on April 28, the same day the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) went into effect nearly 25 years ago, and commemorates the men and women who lost their lives on a job site. The primary purpose of OSHA is to ensure healthy and safe working conditions for all American employees. A group of around 40 people attended Monday evening's event, many of them representing local unions from a myriad of industries, including steel, transportation, fire, mining, and construction and energy. Miner and United Steelworkers Local 13214 President Marshal Cummings said right-to-work laws are standing in the way of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. '(Right-to-work is) not about jobs. It's not about freedom,' Cummings said. 'It's about weakening the very organizations, our unions, that keep us safe.' Speakers at the event said they were tired of repeating these same words after little action from the state. Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association Executive Director Marcia Shanor said 'it feels hollow.' 'It shouldn't be one time a year that we all get together and talk about why this is an important issue,' Shanor said. 'It should be every day.' She said the state needs to collect more data on workplace accidents in order to strategize better solutions that reduce casualties on the job. Kindred said Wyoming has six OSHA inspectors, and it would take them 307 years to inspect every workplace in the state just one time. 'Isn't that tragically poetic? 307, the single area code that Wyomingites share,' Kindred said. 'This isn't a criticism of OSHA. It's a stark illustration of how severely under-resourced our safety infrastructure is.' The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) was heavily affected when 10,000 employees were laid off April 1 in the federal Department of Health and Human Services. NIOSH is an agency of HHS, and most of its supervisors and research scientists were terminated, according to the National Roofing Contractors Association. Cummings told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle a scheduled health hazard evaluation for his mine was cancelled because the inspector was fired. 'She emailed me and said, 'I want to let you know it's not happening. I was fired,'' Cummings said. 'There's not much I can do.'
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
‘We miss him'; Fallen Illinois State Troopers honored on Workers Memorial Day
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Workers Memorial Day is a time to reflect and remember those hurt or killed on the job. In Champaign, two state troopers were honored for making the ultimate sacrifice. Family members sat in the front of the ceremony in Dodds Park. Behind them, a line of state troopers stood honoring their colleagues, 28-year-old Corey Thompsen and 45-year-old Todd Hanneken, whose lives were cut short while on duty in Champaign County. Danville man honored for Workers Memorial Day 'He was just a kid that just had everything going for him,' Corey's grandfather John Thompsen said. It's been just over six months since Corey died while finishing a traffic enforcement. 'We miss him,' John said. 'He was a young man at 28 years old just beginning. He'd been on the force about five, going on six years.' On Monday, the Thompsen family honored Corey by wearing memorial shirts and bracelets. They were joined by workforce advocates remembering him and fellow trooper Hanneken, who died in 2021 after his car left the roadway and hit a pole. 'The people that they have lost are not forgotten and the labor community at large does remember them and wants to honor them,' Champaign County AFL-CIO President Matt Kelly said. The Workers Memorial event in Champaign was one of countless across the country — all fighting for greater workplace safety. 'I didn't even know [what] this day was,' John said. 'I didn't know it, and when they said they was going to have this ceremony for Corey and the other officer, I said, 'We'll for sure have to get there.'' PREVIOUSLY: Workers Memorial Day in Champaign honoring two Central IL State Troopers John said Corey's life was cut short just 20 minutes before he was supposed to get off work. The newly wed left behind a family dedicated to keeping his legacy alive. 'The recognition and everything about it is so great, but it don't bring him back,' John said. The Thompsen family has been honoring Corey in multiple ways. Earlier this year, his loved ones hosted a volleyball fundraiser in his memory. A 5K will take place this summer to continue their efforts of honoring the 28-year-old. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Family remembers son who lost his life on the job in Snyder
ABILENE, Texas () – A family from Texas is raising awareness about worker safety. While working in the renewable energy field in Snyder, 24-year-old Wyatt Denson lost his life on August 19, 2022. His dad, Shawn Denson, explains that his son was working and things turned unexpectedly. 'Wyatt was the first to jump in for any task, and this task was not even his. But he decided to help out, and an incident occurred: a skid that weighed approximately 1,800 to 2,000 pounds fell from where it should have been. It crushed our son, and he never knew what happened,' shared Denson. Denson was working on the far side of the job site when he was summoned to the office and informed of the tragic news. Overwhelmed with grief, he had to call Wyatt's mother, Wendy Zavala. In her time of sorrow, Zavala chose to remember her son for his kindness and strong sense of family. 'He was a gentle giant. He was six foot four, personality galore; probably the most giving person I've ever met. There isn't a day that would go by that you didn't get a hug, or, you know, he would come home and say, 'Mom, get up. I'm going to dance you around the house.' He would dance me around the house; he loved to dance,' explained Zavala. While over the years the grief doesn't get easier, the family has honored Wyatt's life by raising awareness about worker safety. Zavala became a board member for United Support & Memorial for Workplace Fatalities. 'According to the National Labor Board, the latest statistics show that 564 people died in Texas in 2023. That's the latest that's out. That equates to one every 15 hours, so one person every 15 hours does that at work. Our goal is to push legislation; none of this brings it back at all, but sharing what story, if it can make somebody stop and think about what they're doing, or maybe a company revamping their safety program, is the main thing,' added Zavala. As for Denson he raises awareness at every job site and to people he knows as he shares with enough education and safety protocols his son's death could have been preventable. 'In my opinion, it's, with enough mitigation and enough planning, all of the accidents are preventable. It just takes enough people and enough time to slow down and really understand what you're doing so that any of the dangers are mitigated. It's a battle every day. I miss my baby every day, and nothing can bring that back. But hopefully, some education in the future will prevent any other parents from going through this grief,' expressed Denson. A billboard on South Treadaway features a photo of Wyatt, aimed at raising awareness about worker safety. On Monday, April 28, Workers Memorial Day was observed—a day dedicated to honoring those who have lost their lives while on the job. Denson and Zavala share that their family is large, and the loss of a loved one will take a lifetime to grieve. However, they hope that by sharing their son's story, they can help save at least one life. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
