Guest Opinion: We've Forgotten America's Workers

By Congressman Donald Norcross

According to a study from the AFL-CIO, workplace hazards kill or disable 125,000 US workers each year.

Thursday, April 28, 2022, came and went without much fanfare. Unlike other commemorative days, there were no grand speeches about patriotism and sacrifice, no neighborhood BBQs, not even a mattress sale. April 28th is Workers’ Memorial Day, an opportunity to commemorate working people across this country, particularly those who were killed, disabled, or badly injured on the job. I am not arguing that we should turn a day of remembrance for the women and men who built our nation into a Hallmark holiday. But these last two years have been particularly hard on workers – so I thought there might at least be something. And as we turn the corner on the pandemic, it is becoming clearer by the day that workers are ready for a new era — one where their contributions to society are acknowledged and respected at the very least.

Across the country, more and more workers, especially young people, are organizing their workplaces. They come from all different walks of life, but they have one thing in common: they want a safer place to go to work every day and wages they can live on. Starbucks workers across the country are standing up for safer workplaces and better hours. Recently, a group of Amazon workers in Staten Island defeated millions of dollars in union-busting tactics to successfully organize their warehouse. In growing sectors, like the cannabis industry, workers are organizing for better working conditions and fair wages.

So many hardworking people literally kept our economy moving these past two years, and some were unfortunately pushed to the brink. It wasn’t just the health care workers saving lives, but millions of warehouse and delivery workers who ensured we got what we needed when we needed to stay at home. Unfortunately, their perseverance was not rewarded. In 2021, workplace injuries at Amazon’s warehouses in New Jersey surged by 54% — far higher than Amazon’s national rate of injury. Nationally, that’s about 40,000 workers injured while earning a paycheck at an Amazon warehouse while sorting, packing, and shipping the products we ordered. I’ve called for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to investigate Amazon’s apparent disregard for the wellbeing of their employees. But it shouldn’t take an act of Congress for corporations to treat workers with basic dignity and humanity.

As an electrician by trade, I know what the consequences can be when workers’ safety isn’t taken seriously. There have been three times when someone I went to work with that day didn’t make it home to their family. Each loss left a mark on me that I’ll never forget. Working people built this country and should go home in the same condition as when they went to work – whole and healthy. And as I’ve seen these past few years, there’s no doubt in my mind that we stand here today because of American workers. From the sick patients they cared for, to the students they taught, to the food they put on the grocery shelves, working people kept our country running.

That is the reason why I co-founded the Labor Caucus: to fight for workers and prioritize the issues they face. Those experiences also informed my decision to push for more funding for the National Labor Relations Board, which will ensure these independent agencies are properly staffed and that America’s workers get a fair shake when they organize for better conditions.

We owe to workers – on Workers’ Memorial Day and every day – to do everything we can to secure a safe workplace for all. Ensuring workplace safety should be the bare minimum, a reflection of the dignity and respect that all workers deserve.

I thank all our nation’s workers for keeping this country going because working during the pandemic was not an exception to the rule – it merely shined a bright light on what workers have already been doing for generations: holding down tough jobs in tough times. When the pandemic finally ends, nurses will continue to care for us, teachers will continue to educate our kids, grocery workers will continue to stock shelves, and Amazon workers will continue to make sure we receive our orders. They did it before the pandemic, every day, and they’ll do it after. So, mark your calendar for Friday, April 28, 2023. That’s the upcoming Workers’ Memorial Day. When that day comes, we don’t need to buy a mattress, or give a speech, or host a BBQ – but we can spare a thought for workers. Those we know and those ones we don’t, who do the unglamorous, often thankless work that is sometimes taken for granted, who were injured on the job, and who tragically don’t always make it home from work. Let’s commit to marking the day by remembering the people that are too often forgotten.

Donald Norcross is a lifelong union member and a former assistant business manager for IBEW 351. He currently serves as the congressional representative in New Jersey’s 1st District.