Community commemorates Workers’ Memorial Day with call to action

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Cheryl Graham has been an advocate for workplace safety and for union representation for decades. She helps organize the Mayor’s Labor Breakfast each month, which was the host for the first of two Workers’ Memorial Day commemorations over the past week.

No one has ever doubted her dedication to workers in the community, but few understood why she is so motivated to help. She shared a story at the memorial on April 25, held at the UAW Local 685 union hall, that brought her commitment into focus.

“Imagine with me for a couple of minutes a young family of four with a 12-year-old daughter and an eight-year-old son. The family moves across the country for new work and new promise. The kids are in school every day. The dad goes to work every day, and mom stays home and takes care of everything. Everything is fine. That's the American dream.

“One day, the little girl goes to school, says goodbye to her dad, gives her mom a kiss, like any other day. When she and her brother get home from school, they play in the front bedroom, just doing the things that little 12-year-old-girls do.

“The girl looks out the window, and there are two men in black suits walking up to the front door. Even at 12 years old, the girl knows this is not a good thing. She stays in her bedroom for a little while and hears the men talk to her mother, who is very upset. Then, the son and daughter get called into the living room to find out that their father was killed that day in a plant accident.

“That 12-year-old girl was me. Take a couple minutes to think about what that did to the family, and what it does to thousands of families. We moved back across country to live with my grandma. Our income changed. My schools changed. I no longer had a father figure in my life. The whole world changed, and I didn't understand why.

“Be there for them. Be there for the kids. Be there for the families. They need you. They want to see you and take care of them. It doesn't have to happen to any of these families. We can never give up on them. Forge ahead and fight for them. We're responsible for our community and how we treat our workers.”

Graham’s story underscored the message delivered each year on Workers’ Memorial Day: “Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living.” It is a quote made famous by the early 20th century labor leader Mother Jones, but the call to action remains necessary more than 100 years later.

During the ceremony, several local labor leaders spoke to the nearly 50 participants at the gathering. The message, which was reiterated by each speaker, is that the fight for safety on the job never ends, and no one should sit it out.

Mike Young, IBEW 873 Business Manager, strives to secure safe jobs for the electrical workers in his local. He entreated the crowd to take the message from the memorial day with them throughout the year.

“We in the labor movement must continue to fight for the living while we mourn for the dead,” said Young. “Many people throughout history have given their lives for safer conditions we so readily enjoy and often take for granted. It is the responsibility of labor, of management, and government to improve working conditions and safety for all workers.”

Mayor Tyler Moore was present for the April 25 breakfast and ceremony as well as the Workers’ Memorial Day event on April 28 in Highland Park. He read into the record a proclamation recognizing the importance of the date. But he also spoke to most vital component of the fight for worker safety.

“There is a common theme being said this morning: family,” said Moore. “What we as government, as management, as a community, need to do is stress and emphasize and raise awareness for workforce safety.

“It isn't just for the workers themselves. It's for the families that are affected, and not just the immediate family, but the extended family. This community supports each other in times of tragedy.”

As for what government can do to protect worker safety, he explained that recently he has directed the Kokomo Fire Department to actively inspect and investigate local workplaces for unsafe conditions.

“It’s not just to keep those large corporations accountable for those conditions, but the small businesses around town, too,” said Moore. “They're hitting not just in the downtown area, but all around town. And folks are saying, ‘Nobody's been here to inspect our working conditions for 12 or 15 years.’ That's concerning because everybody in the community deserves to work in safe conditions.”

Following the speakers, those in attendance gathered around the flagpoles and the memorial wreath in front of the Local 685 hall, holding stickers that said, “Invest in Us.” The slogan is attached to an effort by the UAW to urge companies to value their employees as their most important assets.