Groton ceremony recognizes workers who died on job
Groton — A 55-year-old construction worker died on Friday after she fell through the floor of a building under construction in Vernon.
To Congressman Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, this is the kind of tragic story that illustrates why it's important to recognize Workers' Memorial Day, and why it's important to maintain worker safety regulations.
He was one of the speakers at the annual Workers' Memorial Day ceremony held at Washington Park here on Saturday. It was sponsored by the Southeastern Connecticut chapter of the AFL-CIO, and more than 200 people attended.
Chapter President Wayne Burgess explained that the day has been observed since 1989, to recognize workers who were killed on the job or died from work-related illness. He said that in 2016, nearly 5,200 workers were killed on the job, and another 50,000 die every year from occupational diseases.
Groton City Mayor Keith Hedrick spoke of efforts to develop a "culture of safety" in the city.
"This is not a memorial service that's sort of about the ancient past," Courtney said. "It's the present we're living in now."
He criticized the U.S. Department of Labor, under the administration of President Donald Trump, for rolling back a dozen Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations in the past 18 months, calling it the opposite direction of where the nation should be headed.
Personnel data shows that OSHA dropped 119 permanent employees between December 2016 and September 2017, a 6 percent decrease, the Washington Post reported.
"We have to fight harder for more safety rules," Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman said at the Groton ceremony. Wyman and other speakers made a plea for attendees to vote for those who listen to these concerns.
Lori Pelletier, executive secretary-treasurer of the Connecticut AFL-CIO, lamented the U.S. Senate campaign of Don Blankenship in West Virginia. Following a mine explosion that killed 29 in 2010, Blankenship was found guilty of conspiring to willfully violate mine safety and health standards, and he was sentenced to a year in prison.
Connecticut Deputy Secretary of State Scott Bates, noting that he had a neighbor who died of lung disease from working with asbestos, said that while our parents and grandparents built an America with good jobs that people can come home from every day, there is no guarantee this will continue.
The ceremony also featured Joyce Harris playing taps and then Jessica McCombs singing "Amazing Grace" as union leaders placed seven wreaths at the Memorial Monument.
Following the Workers' Memorial Day ceremony in Groton was one in Hartford.
On Thursday, Courtney joined with four Democratic members of Congress to introduce a resolution in support of Workers' Memorial Day.
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