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Brett Voorhies, president of the Indiana State AFL-CIO, speaks in support of the Workers Memorial Day resolution.
Justin Hicks/IPB NewsA resolution passed by in the House Monday would honor those killed or injured at work. It would formally recognize April 28 as Workers Memorial Day.
Members of the United Steelworkers and AFL-CIO spoke in support of the resolution to promote workplace safety awareness. So did Samantha Hogue-Figgs, a Fort Wayne resident whose daughter was killed in a factory accident.
“I feel like I had to take my pain and turn it into purpose,” she says.
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Rep. Lisa Beck (D-Hebron) authored the resolution. She says employers, employees, labor unions, and the government need to work together to keep workers safer.
“You know it’s not just about the individual, the employer, or even the company," Beck says. "When somebody dies on the job it affects the families and it also affects the community.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Indiana had the ninth highest worker-fatality rate in the country in 2018.
Contact Justin at jhicks@wvpe.org or follow him on Twitter at @Hicks_JustinM.
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