[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 125, 112th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 8658 of April 27, 2011

Workers Memorial Day, 2011
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Every year in America, nearly four million workers suffer an
occupational injury or illness, and thousands die from work-related
injuries. These preventable tragedies disable workers, devastate
families, and erode our economy. On Workers Memorial Day, we celebrate
the improvements in American workplaces and remember those who have been
injured, sickened, or killed on the job. This year, we also recognize
the 40th anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration, and we pay tribute to all those who have dedicated their
lives to ensuring safety in the workplace.
The protections working Americans enjoy today were not easily gained.
They had to be won by generations of courageous men and women, fighting
to secure decent working conditions, standing up for those most
vulnerable, and sometimes risking their own economic security and lives.
One century ago in New York City, nearly 150 young

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garment workers either burned or jumped to their deaths when a fire
ignited in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. This senseless tragedy
inspired a movement, calling Americans to pay attention to workplace
conditions and bestowing a new relevance on the importance of unions.
Organized labor has continued to give voice to millions of working men
and women by representing their views and fighting for good working
conditions and fair wages.
Until 1970, many Americans still did not have the legal right to a safe
workplace, and many employers were not legally obligated to control
hazards. The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 and the
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 fundamentally changed
American workplaces. These laws provided workers the right to safe and
healthy workplaces, ensured workers were protected from dangerous
conditions, and provided protections to employees who reported safety
and health hazards.
In the four decades since those landmark laws were enacted, we have seen
great progress in conditions for working Americans. Federal agencies are
helping reduce workplace injury rates and control exposure to deadly
hazards by using research on injury and illness causation, implementing
common sense standards, and promoting cooperative programs. The
Department of Labor is continuing to enforce and improve our workplace
safety regulations and is partnering with the Department of Justice to
make sure the full force of the law is brought to bear in cases where
workers are put in harm's way. Many of our Nation's employers have
embraced exemplary worker injury and illness prevention programs--
efforts that exceed Federal safety and health standards. Together, these
improvements have fostered innovation, increased productivity, and
bolstered competitiveness while saving countless lives in the process.
On Workers Memorial Day, we reflect on the vital achievements of the
past and recommit to keeping all workers safe and healthy in the future.
We owe nothing less to the countless working Americans who have built
and shaped our Nation, and to those who have lost their lives or been
injured on the job.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 28, 2011, as
Workers Memorial Day. I call upon all Americans to participate in
ceremonies and activities in memory of those killed or injured due to
unsafe working conditions.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-seventh day
of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
fifth.
BARACK OBAMA