Today is Workers' Memorial Day, a time to remember and honor workers who lost their lives due to job related accidents, injuries and illnesses. It's also a day to renew our commitment to fighting for safer working conditions and passage of laws and regulations that protect the safety of our members.

The name of our brother Jason Sanderson was among those read in remembrance at a ceremony at the State House in Boston earlier today. Jason, who was an active and valued member of Local 1700, lost his life in a work related tragedy last November while working a second job in construction.

In recent years, Council 93 has also mourned the loss of Jason Lew, a nurse in Local 72, who died in 2011 of injuries sustained in a violent attack by a patient in his care at state facility in Pocasset, MA. We also suffered the loss Carlos Tabares, a member of Local 851, who died in 2012 after being pinned between the bucket and the cab of a bobcat he was repairing at the New Bedford, MA Water Department.

Council 93 continues to fight for safer working conditions and fair and equitable line of duty injury and death benefits for our members. We are actively engaged in efforts to address the problem of violent attacks against our members in the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services and Massachusetts Mental Health facilities to name a few. We are also pushing for passage of legislation that would provide the same line of duty death benefit currently provided to public safety workers.

We use the sacrifices made by brothers Lew, Tabares and Sanderson as inspiration and invite all members to join us in our efforts. If you have a workplace safety issue that needs to be addressed or are interested in joining our fight to provide safer working conditions please email Jim Durkin or call at 617-367-6012.