Tuesday, April 28th is Workers Memorial Day. On this day, we remember those who went to work and didn’t come home. Sadly, this year Local 94 is mourning one of our own, Brother John Nester. John died March 28th of 2019 due to an electrical contact while working as a Substation Operator in the Lawrenceville Division of PSE&G Company. He was a 29 year member of our local union. Please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
This year’s Workers Memorial Day is also unique in a sad way. With the COVID-19 pandemic, we are not able to mourn in person, those who have died. We are also experiencing a record number of losses. Frontline workers continue to go to work and some have died over the past few weeks and months. Please keep these workers in your thoughts and prayers and join me in hoping that no other worker dies from exposure to this deadly virus.
Workers Memorial Day is on April 28th because that was the day that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was founded. Thanks to OSHA, there are guidelines on work safety and PPE. Thanks to OSHA our jobs have become much safer. Yet, in the midst of this pandemic, frontline workers are still asked to work without proper PPE. Grocery store workers forced to work without masks, nurses in New Jersey were fired for wearing n95 masks, and workers across the nation have walked off the job because their employers have failed to disinfect their workspace. I urge everyone to mourn our fallen brother on April 28th and continue to fight for better working standards for all workers in New Jersey, the United States, and around the world.
