Workers Memorial Day events report, April 1992

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y events

ers Memorial Da

work

a number of activities to commemorate Workers Memorial
year. These included a memorial service and OSHA
e moment of silence; meetings with local

fm rally; an areawid fs 7
trict Attorneys to press for criminal charges in future cases

Mecoriplace health and safety crime; and efforts to get local

proclamations passed. A brief summary follows.

Memorial Service and OSHA Reform Rally

"Despite rain and cold, 75 people gathered April 25 in Ithaca

to attend a memorial service dedicated to the 25 Hamlet fire
victims, followed by a rally for OSHA Reform. Civil Rights
activist Dorothy Cotton, a close associate of Martin Luther King
Jr., and former Director of Community Education for the SCLC,
gave the invocation. The eulogy took the form of a poem,
Bs re eere VE Dead. Pifty-Six, inguned,;'.. by, Elana: glevy. Dre
fester Medical Director of the Central NY Occupational
Bontices segs ear ee eee: spoke on OSHA Reform. Coleen Kattau
2300) Peg eee wae Professions, AFT) and Deb Whiter (UAW Local
. Sage se present in singing ‘Amazing Grace," "More Than
BSHAT Reto. m Coal Tattoo," and "Solidarity Forever." Over 100
continuing Side, aimee ameletGa hall ed out, and we will be

Uni ;
per mene represented included Bricklayers Local 17, CSEA Local
’ Local 855, Ithaca Teachers Association (NEA-NY),

L nah

Be Cre rs Local 589, Machinists Local 1607, APWU Local 1151, =
eee eevee Federation Local 251, Teamsters Local 317, UAW =
eI Te esitaie 326, 1774 and 2300, United University Professions _

Moment of Silence

In Ithaca the moment of silence was signaled for the 30,000
area residents by the City's fire horns. Precisely at 2 pm on
April 28 the horns sounded the traditional "Death Bell": the
Box-5-5-5-5 signal normally used for the death of a firefighter.
Also in Ithaca, the Cornell University chimes played "Solidarity

Forever" and "Amazing Grace" in honor of the occasion.

ig Wed tat -
tO, DATED
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yortland, in response to a request
jaent of the SUNY campus in Cortland
yege employees to observe a moment of sile
ylege carillon also rang at 2 pm and c
gnutes.

by CSEA Local 605, the
authorized almost 1,000

nee at 2 pm. The
ontinued for two

The moment of silence also was observed in Schuyler County

hough the promised blowing of the fj
ccurred. = e fire horns at 2 pm never

District Attorney Meetings on Workplace Health and Safety Crime

Workers Memorial Day this year was also an occasion on which
the labor movement in Central NY opened a new front in our
campaign for safe jobs. Labor delegations met in separate hour
long meetings with the District Attorneys of Tompkins County,
Cortland County and Schuyler County, all on April 28.

The purpose of these meetings was to discuss the possibility
of local criminal prosecution of employers in cases in which
their negligence and willful violation of safety rules leads to
serious workplace injury or illness.

The meetings served to educate the local prosecutors about the
issue of workplace crime, and about the importance of
prosecution of wrongdoers under the state criminal code. Each
meeting resulted in a commitment by the prosecutors to initiate
investigations and pursue such cases where sufficient evidence
that a worker death or serious injury resulted from negligence
or willful violations was brought to their attention. They also
expressed willingness to continue the dialogue with labor on
this issue. We were encouraged by their response.

Proclamations

- the cities of Ithaca and Cortland,
d Workers Memorial

proclamation attached).

Four local jurisdictions
Schuyler County, and Tompkins County - approve

Day proclamations (Ithaca

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