Union Members Attend Workers' Memorial Day Events in Rumford & Lewiston to Honor Maine

Union members and allies commemorated the Mainers who died on the job from workplace injuries and illnesses over the past year at events in Rumford and Lewiston as part of this year’s Workers Memorial Day On April 28 and May 1st. Papermakers with United Steelworkers Local 900 held a ceremony to remember those who have suffered and died on the job, and to renew our fight for safe workplaces at the USW Local 900 where they read of all the workers in Maine who have lost their life on the job from workplace accidents or illnesses in 2021. 

The Western Maine Labor Council held its Annual Workers’ Memorial Day/International Workers Day (May Day) dinner on Sunday where awards were given to Bates Educators and Staff, Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau and Dick Grandmaison of Sheetmetal Local 17. Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman also delivered a speech about the importance of workplace safety protections in preventing future deaths.

“More than 50 years ago on April 28th, theOccupational Safety and Health Act of 1970took effect, granting every worker the right to a safe workplace. As a result, work-related fatalitiesdropped dramatically,” said Cynthia Phinney, President of the Maine AFL-CIO. “This law was made possible because union members organized and demanded our elected leaders protect workers on the job. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed how much work still needs to be done to strengthen these protections and ensure no family has to experience the grief of losing a loved one as a result of earning a living.”

According to theAFL-CIO’s latest “Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect” report, since the Occupational Safety and Health Act took effect, the number of work-related deaths in the US dropped from 18 percent in 1970 to 3.4 percent per 100,000 workers in 2020, saving roughly 647,000 deaths. According to the Maine Department of Labor, roughly 19 Mainers died of work related injuries, although the total number of work-related COVID deaths is not accurately tracked.

The “Death on the Job” report finds that 20 Mainers died in workplace fatalities in 2020 for a 3.1 per 100,000 rate — ranking Maine 20th in workplace fatalities in the nation. There were 16,700 workplace injuries and fatalities in private industry in 2020, representing a rate of 4.3 per 100 workers — nearly double the national average of 2.7.

This year’s report also reveals that nationally in 2020: 

• 340 working people die every day because of hazardous working conditions.

• An estimated 120,000 workers died from occupational diseases.

• Musculoskeletal disorders continue to make up the largest portion (21%) of work-related injuries and illnesses.

• Underreporting is widespread — the true toll of work-related injuries and illnesses is 5.4 million to 8.1 million each year.

Despite these disturbing findings, the OSHA still does not have the resources needed to hold employers accountable for workplace safety. Last year, there were only 1,719 OSHA inspectors nationwide, 755 on the federal level and 965 on the state level. That’s just one inspector for every 81,427 workers. 

Federal OSHA’s budget amounts to $4.37 to protect each worker, with no federal standards for protections against workplace violence and COVID-19. In Maine, there are eight OSHA inspectors for the whole state. The report estimates that it would take 325 years for OSHA to inspect each workplace in Maine once.