[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 66 (Thursday, April 28, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IN RECOGNITION OF WORKERS' MEMORIAL DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ELIZABETH H. ESTY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 28, 2016

  Ms. ESTY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize April 28 as Workers' 
Memorial Day, and to honor the men and women around the world who have 
suffered injuries or lost their lives in the workplace.
  In Connecticut, the unions of the AFL-CIO are observing Workers' 
Memorial Day today with ceremonies on the steps of our State Capitol in 
Hartford and at the Workers Memorial in the Town of Groton's Washington 
Park.
  Last Saturday was the 29th anniversary of one of the worst workplace 
disasters in Connecticut's history. On April 23, 1987, L'Ambiance 
Plaza, a 16-story building under construction in Bridgeport, collapsed. 
Twenty-eight construction workers lost their lives.
  This disaster was preventable, and it was a wakeup call for 
Connecticut--and for our nation--that we can never afford to take 
workplace safety for granted. We've made some progress in the three 
decades since the L'Ambiance Plaza tragedy, but in the United States, 
13 workers still die on the job during an average workday.
  In Connecticut, 33 men and women died due to workplace accidents in 
2014. That's more than two workers every month, just in my state, who 
don't return home to their loved ones at the end of a shift.
  Nearly half of these men and women worked in the construction, 
transportation, and warehousing industries--industries that sustain 
thousands of Connecticut jobs. These workers are powering the economy 
of our state and of the nation, and we have a responsibility to keep 
them safe.
  Today, on Workers' Memorial Day, we honor the memories and sacrifices 
of the thousands of men and women throughout the world who have been 
injured or lost their lives while doing their job.

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