[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 83 (Thursday, April 30, 2015)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 24777-24778]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-10325]



[[Page 24775]]

Vol. 80

Thursday,

No. 83

April 30, 2015

Part IV





The President





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Proclamation 9260--Workers Memorial Day, 2015
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  Federal Register / Vol. 80 , No. 83 / Thursday, April 30, 2015 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 24777]]

                Proclamation 9260 of April 27, 2015

                
Workers Memorial Day, 2015

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Across the United States, as dedicated Americans clock 
                in at factories, walk onto construction sites, put on 
                their hospital uniforms, and report to do the daily 
                work that drives our Nation's progress, they give 
                meaning to the simple yet profound belief that if you 
                work hard and take responsibility, you can get ahead. 
                However, each year millions of people have their shifts 
                cut short by work-related injuries and illnesses, and 
                on average, 12 Americans lose their lives on the job 
                every day. On Workers Memorial Day, we honor those we 
                have lost and recommit to improving conditions for all 
                who work hard to provide for their families and 
                contribute to our country.

                Throughout our history, the American worker has labored 
                not only to erect buildings and cities, but also to 
                raise the standards of our Nation's workplaces. Through 
                protests and picket lines, by organizing and raising 
                their voices together, workers have won small and large 
                victories that have pushed our country closer to 
                ensuring safer and healthier jobs for all. Over 40 
                years ago, the right to a safe workplace was written 
                into law with the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety 
                Act of 1969 and the Occupational Safety and Health Act 
                of 1970. Since then, job-related deaths, injuries, and 
                illnesses have decreased; but there is more progress to 
                be made, and we cannot grow complacent in the fight for 
                better working conditions.

                My Administration continues to bolster workers' rights 
                with millions of dollars in funding targeted at 
                inspecting hazardous workplaces and helping employers 
                understand and comply with safety and health 
                regulations. Additionally, to ensure companies 
                receiving taxpayer money maintain a safe workplace, 
                last year I signed an Executive Order to crack down on 
                Federal contractors who put workers' safety and pay at 
                risk. By creating incentives for better compliance and 
                a process for contractors to follow basic workplace 
                protection laws, we are sending a strong message 
                throughout the economy: if you want to do business with 
                the United States, you must respect our workers.

                American laborers form the backbone of our economy--but 
                our economic growth should never come at the cost of 
                their safety or well-being. Those who work every day to 
                put food on the table, provide for their families, or 
                care for their fellow citizens should know their 
                country has their back. Today, as we remember women and 
                men taken from us too soon, we remind ourselves that 
                even one life lost to a preventable job-related 
                incident is one too many, and we focus our efforts on 
                creating a world where success at the workplace is 
                determined only by the strength of our work ethic and 
                the scope of our dreams.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim April 28, 2015, as 
                Workers Memorial Day. I call upon all Americans to 
                participate in ceremonies and activities in memory of 
                those killed or injured due to unsafe working 
                conditions.

[[Page 24778]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
                ninth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2015-10325
Filed 4-29-15; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F5