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The Greater Wilkes-Barre Labor Council recently conducted its annual Worker’s Memorial Candlelight Vigil in observance with National Workers Memorial Day. The observance was held to recognize and pay tribute to all workers who have been injured or killed on the job. April 28 has been designated nationally as Workers Memorial Day, since it was the day and month when the U.S. Congress passed the Occupational Health & Safety Act in 1971, intended to provide every worker a safe workplace.
This year’s GWBLC program included speaker the Rev. Louis Grippi, who provided a special workers prayer; Mark Stelmack, OSHA area director, who provided an update on OSHA administration, their current staffing, and the number of fatalities and most common work-related accidents and injuries; State Representative Eddie Day Pashinski and Luzerne County Councilman Bob Schnee, who presented special proclamations on behalf of the state and county; and Chad Trainor. The GWBLC also paid tribute to and added the name of Kristopher David Moules to its memorial program booklet. Kristopher was a Luzerne County Corrections officer and member of the Laborers’ International Union Local 1310 who died on the job on July 18, 2016.
Shown in photo, from left, are Patrick Connors, treasurer GWBLC; Joe Padavan, president GWBLC; Bill Herbert, secretary GWBLC; and Mark Stelmack, OSHA area director.