May 4, 2015 at 4:52 p.m.
Memorial ceremony honors workers who didn't make it home
Memorial ceremony honors workers who didn't make it home
By Kayla Thomason-
"The ceremony was just as moving as it was last year, the tolling of the bell for the workers who lost their lives in years past and this year's 46 workers that lost their lives in Wisconsin," said Jackie Cody, president of the Northern Wisconsin Center for Working People. "We're very pleased with having this setting and that the city of Rhinelander had decided that they would accept the Workers' Memorial Rock from North Central Labor Coalition so that we had a place that we could have it public and people would be able to see it and this ceremony is public and people are welcome to it each year."
Those in attendance listened to solidarity songs played by guitarist Robert Wojnowski.
Father Dean Einerson of St. Augustine's Episcopal Church was the keynote speaker. He shared statistics, told the history of the labor force and relayed stories of people who died on the job.
"The one that strikes me and sticks with me is that one (person) every two hours in the United States or one every 15 seconds around the world (die in a work-related accident) and I think that's horrible," Einerson said. "What can possibly be worth a human life, let alone 12 lives or 4,000 lives?"
He said some businesses cut corners to save a few pennies, sacrificing workers' safety.
Robert Hanson and his wife Dedie have attended the memorial several times.
"We support labor in general," Robert Hanson said. "We both always worked for a living and we're very supportive of anyone who does that. It's a matter of principal with us. We side with labor when there's a dispute."
Hanson said he was happy that the Workers' Memorial Observance is available in Rhinelander.
"I think it's a very nice thing for Rhinelander, it's always good to have an opportunity to get people to focus on the issues that working people face and I think this is an opportunity to bring all of that to the forefront," Hanson said. "This is a really tough time for working people, there's a whole lot going on that's anti-worker in this country and I think that it's time for working people to stand up a little. It looks like that's beginning to happen and I'm encouraged to see that."
He and others were pleased with the turnout and how the event came together.
"It was a nice turnout and I thought it was really well put together, I was very pleased with the way it went," Hanson said.
"It's wonderful that a group of really dedicated people in this community put this together to remember the workers every year," Bernie Knox said. "I think that's a great thing."
Knox said he knew a young man named Doug Miller who died as a result of a work-related incident.
Miller was carrying an aluminum ladder, swung it over his shoulder and hit the high-line wires, killing him instantly.
"I think it's very important that the people of this community are exposed to the history of labor and that they don't forget the many workers who fought very, very hard for the things that we take for granted this day in age such as work safety, such as weekends and over time and these kinds of things," Knox said. "I hope that people remember that and remember the workers who fought for that."
According to Cody, in Wisconsin, as of 2013, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 96 fatalities. The number of injuries and illnesses reported was 73,600. It would take 107 years for the 36 certified inspectors to inspect the number of workplaces in Wisconsin just once.
"If you go over by the Memorial Rock I think you get a real sense of how much the North Central Labor Coalition wants people to remember the fallen workers," she said.
Cody ended her remarks by quoting Mother Jones. "Mourn for the dead and fight like (heck) for the living," she said.
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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