Union Members Mourn Loss of Mainers Who Lost Lives in Workplace Incidents

PHOTO: North Jay Maine DOT workers (MSEA-SEIU 1989) receive a Workers Solidarity Award.

The Western Maine Labor Council commemorated the lives of 20 Maine workers who died on the job in 2024 at its 19th Annual Workers’ Memorial Day/May Day Dinner on Saturday night in Rumford. They also recognized workers, union leaders and elected officials who have advanced the cause of workers’ rights and economic justice. Here are the following award recipients:

• The Francis Perkins Award — Representative Amy Roeder (D-Bangor)
• The Bruce D. Roy Award — Joe Mailey (IAM S6)
• Worker Solidarity Awards — North Jay Maine DOT (MSEA-SEIU 1989) and USW Women of Steel (USW 900, Rumford).

According to the Maine Bureau of Labor Statistics, 20 Maine workers died on the job or died of an occupational illness in 2024. They worked for large companies, small companies, and in the public sector. The list is likely incomplete because it is compiled from news reports and obituaries.

Workers Memorial Day is celebrated on April 28 to commemorate the founding of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in recognition of how many lives safety protections save. Nationally in 2023, the latest year for which there is a complete record, there were 5,283 fatal work injuries, a 3.7 percent decrease from the previous year. There were 3.5 fatal injuries per 100,000 FTE workers, or one worker died every 99 minutes

Workers Memorial Day is a time to emphasize the need for stronger workplace health and safety standards so that no other family has to deal with the tragedy of losing a loved one to workplace injuries.

Here is the list of Maine workers who lost their lives on the job in 2024:

Gilles Anctil, tree trimmer

Cory Maddox, asphalt plant operator

Brady Andrews, electrician's helper

Leland Moore, truck driver

Alicia Bubier, mail carrier

Joshua Nelson, sewer/drain maintenance worker

William Coombs, truck driver

Sean Rancourt, welder

Pierre-Alexandre Drolet, truck driver

Charles Resh, flagger

Joshua Faulkner, arborist

Jose Ruiz Munguia, landscaper

Tyler Graham, maintenance worker

Richard Smith, farmer

Stephen Killam, maintenance supervisor

Lloyd Spinney, shipyard worker

Stephen Lane, plumber/paving contractor

Jeffrey Stanhope, construction laborer

Lonnie Little, construction mechanic

Harland Woodward, laborer/driver