ADVISORY: NC Workers' Memorial Day Service, April 28th at 3p in Raleigh
Media Advisory for April 28, 2024
Community to Honor North Carolina Workers Who Lost Their Lives on the Job,
April 28th at 3:00 PM in Raleigh
North Carolina leaders outline ways to strengthen workplace safety
(Raleigh, NC)—Local workers, union members, and community leaders will gather on Bicentennial Plaza to commemorate Workers’ Memorial Day by renewing the call for strong safety protections and remembering workers sickened, hurt, or killed on the job. At the interfaith press conference and solemn memorial service, participants will toll a bell 217 times - once for each person in North Carolina who died while working for a better life in 2022, the most recent year for which the full death toll is known.
For the third year in a row, the NC Department of Labor will participate in the event. Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson and NC State AFL-CIO President MaryBe McMillan will discuss continued cooperation to strengthen the department and improve workplace safety. Rev. Sean Allen of the NC Council of Churches and Imam Sami Kocak of the Cary Islamic Center will offer prayers for workers and their families. Surviving family members of people who died on the job are invited to share their stories at the service and reflect on those they have lost.
WHAT: In-person press conference and bell ringing to commemorate Workers’ Memorial Day
WHEN: Sunday, April 28, 2024, beginning at 3:00 PM (3:15 press conference start time)
WHERE: Bicentennial Plaza (across from the Legislative Building), 1 E Edenton St, Raleigh, NC 27601
WHO: NC Department of Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson; NC State AFL-CIO President MaryBe McMillan; Rev. Sean Allen, NC Council of Churches; Imam Sami Kocak, Cary Islamic Center; Devin Gilgor, father of Gabriel Gilgor Strathern, and family; with support from organizations including NC Justice Center, NC A. Philip Randolph Institute, Union of Southern Service Workers, Student Action with Farmworkers, Action NC, and others.
UNIQUE PHOTO / VIDEO: The sight and sound of the steady ringing of a memorial bell 217 times. Dozens of community members, many dressed in black, some holding boards displaying the known names of the dead, while others hold photos of workplace fatality victims or posters.
Interview opportunities are available with event participants. For more information and to schedule interviews in advance, please contact [email protected]. To schedule interviews with Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson, please contact [email protected] or 919-707-7704.
CONTACT: Jeremy Sprinkle, 336-255-2711 / [email protected]
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The North Carolina State AFL-CIO is the largest association of local unions and union councils in North Carolina, representing over one-hundred twenty-five thousand union members, fighting for good jobs, safe workplaces, workers’ rights, consumer protections, and quality public services on behalf of ALL working people. PO Box 10805, Raleigh, NC 27605.