Community to honor North Carolina workers who lost their lives on the job, April 28 at 10 a.m. in Raleigh

North Carolina leaders outline ways to strengthen workplace safety

RALEIGH (April 26, 2023) – Local workers, union members, and community leaders will gather outside the North Carolina State Capitol this Friday to commemorate Workers Memorial Day by renewing the call for strong safety protections and remembering workers sickened, hurt, or killed on the job. At the interfaith press conference and solemn memorial service, participants will toll a bell 179 times—once for each person in North Carolina who died while working for a better life in 2021, the most recent year for which the full death toll is known.

For the second year in a row, the NC Department of Labor will participate in the event. Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson and NC State AFL-CIO President MaryBe McMillan will discuss continued cooperation to strengthen the department and improve workplace safety. Rev. Sean Allen of the NC Council of Churches, Rabbi Lucy Dinner of Temple Beth Or, and Imam Sami Kocak of the Cary Islamic Center will offer prayers for workers and their families. Surviving family members of people who died on the job are invited to share their stories at the service and reflect on those they have lost.

WHAT: In-person press conference and bell ringing to commemorate Workers Memorial Day

WHEN: Friday, April 28, 2023, beginning at 10 a.m. (10:15 a.m. press conference start time)

WHERE: North Carolina State Capitol (south pad), 1 E. Edenton St., Raleigh, NC 27601

WHO: NC Department of Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson; NC State AFL-CIO President MaryBe McMillan; Rev. Sean Allen, NC Council of Churches; Rabbi Lucy Dinner of Temple Beth Or; Imam Sami Kocak, Cary Islamic Center; Rafael Carrero and Jadiera Caraballo-Lopez, parents of late supermarket distribution center worker Dereck Carrero, and family; with support from organizations, including NC Justice Center, NC A. Philip Randolph Institute, Union of Southern Service Workers, National Domestic Workers Alliance, Student Action with Farmworkers, Action NC, and others.

UNIQUE PHOTO / VIDEO: The sight and sound of the steady ringing of a memorial bell 179 times. Dozens of community members, many dressed in black, some holding boards displaying the known names of the dead, while others hold photos of workplace fatality victims or posters.

Interview opportunities are available with event participants. For more information and to schedule interviews in advance, please contact jeremy@aflcionc.org. To schedule interviews with Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson, please contact erin.Wilson@labor.nc.gov or 919-707-7704.

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The North Carolina State AFL-CIO is the largest association of unions of working people in North Carolina, representing over a hundred thousand members, working together for good jobs, safe workplaces, workers’ rights, consumer protections, and quality public services on behalf of ALL working people. P.O. Box 10805, Raleigh, NC 27605.