If it's Spring, it must be time for Workers Memorial -- the day where we re-energize ourselves for another year of fighting for safer workplaces.Well, spring has sprung in Washington D.C. -- the dogwoods are blooming, the thunderstorms are coming, and George W. Bush's approval ratings are scraping the bottom of the septic tank.
For those enjoying the spring here, drop in at the AFL-CIO building (815 16th St. N.W.) Wednesday afternoon at 5:30 for for a discussion with United Mine Workers President Cecil Roberts and photojournalist Earl Dotter about safety and health in the nation's mines and what must be done.
A reception and viewing of the photo exhibit "Our Future in Retrospect: Coal Miner Health in Appalachia" will follow, with a welcome by AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka. The exhibit, sponsored by the Appalachian Institute of Wheeling Jesuit University, combines Dotter's present-day look at health and safety issues in America's coalfields with Russell W. Lee's 1946 documentary photography on the hardships of coal communities.
If you're planning on dropping in, please RSVP to pseminar@aflcio.org or call 202-637-5029.
And if you're not in the DC area, hopefully you've hooked up with Workers Memorial Day events in your area. Contact your local union or COSH group to find out what's happening in your neighborhood. The AFL-CIO's Workers Memorial Day page is here. And no matter where in the world you are, you can find out what's happening at the Hazards Workers Memorial Day events page.
And, of course, all kinds of posters and fact sheets on the Hazards Workers Memorial Day main page.