    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 128, 113th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    PROCLAMATION 9107--APR. 25, 2014

    Proclamation 9107 of April 25, 2014

    Workers Memorial Day, 2014

    By the President of the United States of America

    A Proclamation

    America is built on the promise of opportunity. We believe that everyone
    should have a chance to succeed, that what matters is the strength of
    our work ethic, the scope of our dreams, and our willingness to take
    responsibility for ourselves and each other. Yet each year, workplace
    illness and injury threaten that promise for millions of Americans, and
    even more tragically, thousands die on the job. This is unacceptable. On
    Workers Memorial Day, we honor those we have lost, and in their memory,
    affirm everyone's right to a safe workplace.
    With grit and determination, the American labor force has propelled our
    Nation through times of hardship and war, and it laid the foundation for
    tremendous economic growth. Workers risked life and limb to turn the
    gears of the Industrial Revolution, raise our first skyscrapers, and lay
    railroad track that connected our country from coast to coast. The
    injured, as well as families of the dead, received little or no
    compensation.
    It was only after decades of organizing, unionizing, and public pressure
    that workers won many of the rights we take for granted today. Finally,
    with the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, the Federal
    Government required employers to provide basic safety equipment. Just 1
    year prior, the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969
    established comprehensive safety and health standards for coal mines,
    increased Federal enforcement powers, and provided compensation to
    miners with black lung.
    My Administration remains dedicated to building on this progress. We are
    improving standards to protect workers from black lung and reduce their
    exposure to dangerous substances. We are helping employers provide safe
    workplaces and holding those who risk workers' lives and health
    accountable. And we are empowering workers with information so they can
    stay safe on the job.
    We must never accept that injury, illness, or death is the cost of doing
    business. Workers are the backbone of our economy, and no one's
    prosperity should come at the expense of their safety. Today, let us
    cele

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    brate our workers by upholding their basic right to clock out and return
    home at the end of each shift.
    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, 2014, 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.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fifth day of
    April, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the
    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
    eighth.
    BARACK OBAMA