Unions still mourning the dead – and fighting like hell for the living

Safety first?

It was mostly safety last in American mines, mills, and factories before the advent of unions, government safety regulations, and OSHA.

With the Trump administration flashing the green light, many employers, especially non-union ones, are still trying to cut safety corners. On this 50th anniversary of Workers Memorial Day, the coronavirus crisis “has revealed a reality many workers have long confronted – workers are routinely forced to work in unsafe conditions, risking their health and safety for a job,” says a report by Celine McNicholas of the Economic Policy Institute.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”On this 50th anniversary of Workers Memorial Day, the coronavirus crisis has revealed a reality many workers have long confronted – workers are routinely forced to work in unsafe conditions, risking their health and safety for a job.” quote=”On this 50th anniversary of Workers Memorial Day, the coronavirus crisis has revealed a reality many workers have long confronted – workers are routinely forced to work in unsafe conditions, risking their health and safety for a job.”]

It’s a one-two punch against workers. We’ve got an anti-labor Secretary of Labor appointed by one of the most anti-labor presidents in our history.

Trump’s phony populist con job won him votes from more than 38 percent of union members nationwide going on four years ago, according to polling pro Nate Silver.

“The reality and rhetoric of Donald Trump are radically different,” said Louisville labor lawyer Dave Suetholz. “He says he cares about the American worker – America first. That’s rhetoric, a joke. The reality is that all of his appointees are business cronies who couldn’t care less about working people.”

[click_to_tweet tweet=”The reality and rhetoric of Trump are radically different. He says he cares about the American worker: ‘America first.’ That’s rhetoric, a joke.

The reality is that all of his appointees are business cronies who couldn’t care less about working people.” quote=”The reality and rhetoric of Trump are radically different. He says he cares about the American worker: ‘America first.’ That’s rhetoric, a joke.

The reality is that all of his appointees are business cronies who couldn’t care less about working people.”]

When we pause this Workers Memorial Day to remember those who lost their lives on the job, let’s remember the words of one of the greatest union heroes from history, Mary Harris “Mother” Jones: “Mourn the dead; fight like hell for the living!”

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Read the rest at the KY AFL-CIO web site.