WHEELING – To honor West Virginia workers who died on the job - 8 were lost in 2024 - the West Virginia AFL-CIO and three area Central Labor Councils will hold the 37th annual Workers Memorial Ceremony at noon, Monday, April 28, in Wheeling, WV.

“As we do each year, we will read the names of West Virginians who lost their lives due to workplace injury and illness, take a moment to pay tribute to them, and vow to keep fighting for the promise of safe jobs for all workers,” West Virginia AFL-CIO President Josh Sword said. “So many of workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths are preventable, yet workers and their families across the country pay the price for a lack of oversight with their lives and livelihoods.”

WV AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Andy Walters noted, “In 2024, 8 West Virginians lost their lives while on the job. They worked for coal mines, in transportation, and the public sector -- our friends and neighbors, and they should have returned home safely to their loved ones.”

On April 28, unions of the AFL-CIO throughout the country will observe Workers Memorial Day to remember those who have suffered and died on the job, and to call for action to make workplaces safe.

“This year, workers’ rights to a safe job are under enormous threat. Anti-regulatory attacks, at both the federal and state levels, would remove protections that have been on the books for decades—protections we often take for granted,” Sword said. “We must remind workers and their allies in government to use their voices to advocate for a strong, inclusive workplace safety agenda to ensure all people have the opportunity for a better life.”

United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) International President Cecil E. Roberts will be among the labor leaders speaking at this year’s West Virginia event.

The ceremony will be broadcast via Facebook.com/westvirginia.aflcio 

WHAT:                      37th Annual Workers Memorial Ceremony  

WHEN:                     Noon, Monday, April 28, 2024

WHERE:                   Walter Reuther Statue, south end of the Wheeling Heritage Trail, Water St. and 14th St.

Sponsored by the WV AFL-CIO; Brooke-Hancock Labor Council; Marshall, Wetzel, Tyler Labor Council; Ohio Valley Trades & Labor Assembly