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APRIL 28: NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING
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‘MOURN FOR THE DEAD, FIGHT FOR THE LIVING’ Did you know?
Brian Hogan, president of the Windsor & District Labour Council, addresses the crowd at the workers’ monument at Windsor’s Coventry Gardens during last year’s national Day of Mourning for workers injured or killed on the job. DA L SON CHEN / W I ND S O R S TA R
April 28 honours workers who died, were injured or became disabled POSTMEDIA CONTENT WORKS
NAT I O NA L DAY O F M O U R N I NG O R I G I NS
Declaring that an injury to one is an injury to all, the Windsor and District Labour Council is honouring those who lost their lives, suffered injury or became disabled on the job Sunday, April 28. “Canada is one of more than 100 countries marking the National Day of Mourning,” says Mike Jee, chairperson of the Windsor and District Labour Council’s committee in charge of organizing the annual observance held in the city. Among the participants will be Jada Malott, a 15-year-old activist and St. Joseph’s Catholic High School student who led last year’s commemoration. “Being a part of the observance was extremely important to me because although I have never directly experienced the loss of a family member due to a workplace injury, I know someone who has and it breaks my heart to this day. Even thinking about the possibility of one of my parents not coming home from work due to a workplace accident makes me nauseous, but nobody ever thinks it’s going to happen to them – until it happens to them,” Malott notes. “Never in a million years would I think a country as developed and progressive as Canada still doesn’t put workers’ safety at the forefront when it comes to legislation,” she adds. “I’ve always wondered if workplace safety regulations are part of that ‘red tape’ that I hear some politicians say stymies job growth. That infuriates me.” She calls out the “employers who don’t do their absolute most to protect their employees: There is absolutely no excuse to put profit before people when it comes to ensuring the safety of your workers. They are not a statistic, they are people. They deserve your complete respect.” Respect is exactly what Day of Mourning participants will be giv-
National Day of Mourning marks its 25th anniversary in Canada since April 28th was first declared an annual day of remembrance by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) at its annual convention in 1984. A similar resolution was adopted the year before by the Canadian Union of Public Employees. The day is set aside to remember and honour those who have died, been injured or suffered illness in the workplace. The CLC proclaimed the day to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the day the first Ontario Worker’s Compensation Act was approved by the government in 1914. The Day of Mourning was enshrined in national legislation with the passage of the Workers Mourning Day Act on Feb. 1, 1991. The Day of Mourning, also known as Workers’ Memorial Day, is officially recognized in about 100 countries worldwide. It is recognized as Workers’ Memorial Day and International Workers’ Memorial Day by the International Labour Organisation and the International Trade Union Confederation. In addition to community ceremonies such as one organized by the Windsor and District Labour Council, Canadian flags on Parliament Hill and at Queen’s Park fly at half-mast on April 28. The day is traditionally marked in many ways including holding public ceremonies, wearing black and yellow ribbons, lighting candles, observing a moment of silence at 11 a.m. and sharing stories about how workplace tragedies have touched peoples’ lives. “On this day we honour and remember those whose lives have been cut short or forever altered simply by going to work,” says Anne Tennier, president and CEO of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. “Our thoughts are also with the families and loved ones whose lives have been forever changed by these workplace tragedies, most of which were preventable. One injury or life lost is one too many. And the most fundamental right of workers in Canada is to return home from the job, safe and sound.”
K A R E N PAT O N- EVA N S
Jada Malott
ing when they congregate for an observance at 2 p.m., Sunday, Apr. 28 in the sanctuary of St. Augustine of Canterbury Anglican Church, located at 5145 Wyandotte Street East at Westminster Boulevard. At 3 p.m., everyone will then march from the church to Coventry Gardens between Thompson Boulevard and Pillette Road. Marchers and participants arriving to join them will gather at the Injured Workers Monument. The labour council is offering carnations to participants, who will lay the flowers at the monument in memory of their loved ones, colleagues and union sisters and brothers. A reception open to everyone will follow at 4:30 p.m. in the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 12 at 2090 Brant St. Parking is available at St. Augustine’s Church and the overflow municipal lot at the corner of Pillette Road and Pleasant Place, between Riverside Drive and Wyandotte Street East. “By Canadians acknowledging this day and helping us fight the fight,” Malott says, “it will ensure that workplace-related deaths are no longer.” For more information about the Windsor and District Labour Council and National Day of Mourning, contact Mike Jee at 519252-8281, visit windsorlabour.ca or find them on Facebook at WindsorDistrictLC.
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The safest working conditions in the construction industry with state of the art training available to all members
www.local494.ca | 519.737.1101
April 28th, 2019 National Day of Mourning Remembering those who have lost their lives in the line of duty. www.police.windsor.on.ca
GREATER ESSEX
Teachers Standing Together for Public Education
Today, members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees act as frontline protection for our fellow citizens.
LOCAL 494
Mary Harris Jones (Mother Jones) inspired the rallying cry for National Day of Mourning. SOURCE: MOT HER JONESMUSEUM.ORG
Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario
Miners once took canaries with them into the mines to warn against unsafe conditions.
UNITED BROTHERHOOD OF CARPENTERS AND JOINERS OF AMERICA
• A rallying cry for activists observing National Day of Mourning – “Mourn for the dead, fight for the living” – is paraphrased from the famous quote by Mother Jones (Mary Harris Jones): “Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living.” • In B.C., the symbol for National Day of Mo u r n i n g of a canary in a cage is a reference to coal mining operations. Canaries would be sent into the dangerous, deep shafts to determine if methane and carbon dioxide levels were safe – if they sang, miners knew the air was safe. • The LifeQuilt, a project by Threads of Life, is a unique and permanent memorial dedicated
to the thousands of young women and men between the ages of 14 and 24 who have been killed and injured on the job. The quilt commemorates 100 young workers killed on the job with individual, personalized quilted blocks. One hundred injured young workers are recognized on the centre panel • In 2017 in Canada, 23 workers under the age of 25 died in workplace tragedies. • The most recent statistics from the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada in 2017 reveal that 951 workplace fatalities were recorded in Canada, an increase of 46 from the previous year. • Add to these fatalities the 251,508 accepted claims (an increase from 241,508 the previous year) for lost time due to a work-related injury or disease. That number includes 31,441 workers between the ages of 15 and 24. Also, the fact that these statistics only include what is reported and accepted by the compensation boards leaves no doubt that the total number of workers impacted is even greater, according to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety.
www.buildingbetterschools.ca
WORKING TOGETHER TO IMPROVE OVE HEALTH AND SAFET SAFETY
April 28th is a day to pause, reflect, and gather our resolve. Let’s use it to re-dedicate ourselves to the fight for improved health and safety. Windsor District Council
OSSTF District 9 Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation
www.osstf9.com
APRIL 28: NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING
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PTSD can pose risk to certain workers K A R E N PAT O N- EVA N S POSTMEDIA CONTENT WORKS
During Ian Nash’s nearly 21 years serving as a paramedic, “I have seen things people should never see and have many stories to tell,” he says. Job-related stresses can take their toll on a worker’s health and well-being. “I have lost two friends in our profession over the past four years as a result of them developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It took me by surprise when I received the calls,” says Nash. PTSD is often the result of a worker experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. “If we know people who are suffering, interaction is so important.” In his capacity as the president of CUPE Local 2974 and
If we know people who are suffering, interaction is so important.
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a health and safety adviser representing the paramedics of Essex Windsor EMS and other sectors, Nash is very aware of the risks of PTSD developing and the wide range of contributing factors. Among those “exposed to daily incidents of death, incidents of gun and knife violence, accidents that involve serious injuries and death, and alcohol and drug abuse” are: workers (including soldiers), doctors and other healthcare workers, paramedics, police, firefighters and other emergency service workers, and tow truck operators . “These incidents occur on a daily basis and are on the rise, subsequently exposing those who perform work in our communities and protect public and national safety to Critical Incident Stress.” CIS symptoms may present as anxiety, depression, sleep issues, alcohol and drug abuse, withdrawal from interaction with loved ones, friends and co-workers, work attendance issues and other concerns. “If left untreated,” Nash says, “CIS could lead to PTSD.” PTSD symptoms may emerge as abnormal fear,
feelings of devastation and numbness, flashbacks from the event, avoidance of social contact, changes in personality, and more. At its worse, “PTSD may develop the feeling there is ‘no way out,’ potentially resulting in the victim taking their own life.” Not so long ago, PTSD and other mental injuries were frequently discounted or disregarded. That was due to “most professionals being put on a pedestal for serving their communities’ and the country’s greatest needs,” Nash says. Workers who spoke of their health concerns in the past “were told to ‘suck it up and get back to work,’ giving those in distress no resources to deal with the ‘demons,’ leading to irreversible symptoms, including death.” Canadian statistics indicate that eight to 10 percent of workers will develop PTSD and other mental health conditions as a consequence of their employment. “However, in 2018, the rate for those in emergency services doubled. Paramedics as a profession has been rated #1 for developing PTSD,” says Nash, observing a large
Ian Nash
number of medics have ended their own lives. “That is on the rise.” Recognizing one of the most effective ways to help someone exhibiting the signs of PTSD is to have them accurately diagnosed and then treated, employers and governments have put support services in place for soldiers as well as the majority of workers in healthcare and emergency services. Nash points to peer support teams and employee assistance programs with staff psychologists or psychiatrists “who are a phone call away,” offering immediate interaction for people dealing with critical incidents or personal issues. The downside is that “in Ontario and nationally, there are not enough psy-
chologists and psychiatrists” specializing in job-related critical incidents “to deal with the increase in volume due to mental health issues and PTSD in workers and soldiers,” says Nash. He commends former New Democrat Party MPP Cheri DiNovo, “the pioneer who tried to introduce five bills to Queens Park to pass legislation on PTSD for those professions that had a high rate of incidents of PTSD.” On April 5, 2016, then-Premier Katherine Wynne’s Liberal government passed Bill 163, the Supporting Ontario’s First Responders Act which creates a presumption that post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosed in first responders is work-related and therefore the claims process to be eligible for Workplace Safety & Insurance Board benefits will be expedited. “However, WSIB is taking too long to approve these claims,” Nash says. The delays cause financial burdens for injured workers and their families, further adding to challenges on the road to recovery. Nash is concerned that “currently, Doug Ford’s Conservative government intends to cut funding to healthcare, which could
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have detrimental outcomes” for workers depending on tools to deal with mental wellness and PTSD. “These injured workers are our friends and family and need this support. We as union activists and MPs, MPPs and the public need to make and demand these vital changes to protect all workers. We need to make sure governments provide the resources required for medical health treatment and access – because one life lost due to funding cuts is a cost that no one family or friend should bear,” Nash says. He will be joining the Windsor and District Labour Council as it gathers together local workers, families, unions, labour organizations, politicians, supporters, community partners and employers for the National Day of Mourning on Sunday, Apr. 28. The commemorative event is a public opportunity to remember all the workers who have died or been injured while working for their employers. Nash urges everyone: “Please reach out to those who are suffering and give them lots of love and interaction. Be there to hear their stories and get them help when signs and symptoms are showing.”
National Day of Mourning for Workers
Prevent worker disability, disease and death.
#Make work safe
Unifor Locals 195, 200, 240, 444, 1498, 1941, 1959, 2027, 2458
www.whsc.on.ca • 1-888- 869 -7950
NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING WE REMEMBER
Together we stand and humbly urge all to observe this day, which we hope will strengthen the establishment of safe conditions in the workplace. Let us commit to encouraging all employers and governments to fulfill their obligation of maintaining the health and safety of each and every employee, and to seek stronger health and safety protection and standards in our workplaces.
Lisa Gretzky, MPP Windsor West
2443 Dougall Ave. Windsor, ON N8X 1T3 519-977-7191 lisagretzkympp.ca
Brian Masse, MP Windsor West
2-1398 Ouellette Ave. Windsor, ON N8X 1J8 519-255-1631 brianmasse.ca
Percy Hatfield, MPP Windsor Tecumseh
1-5452 Tecumseh Rd. E., Windsor, ON N8T 1C7 519-251-5199 percyhatfield.com
Taras Natyshak MPP Essex 316 Talbot St. N. Unit 5 Essex, ON N8M 2E1 519-776-6420 tarasnatyshak.com
Cheryl Hardcastle, MP Tracey Ramsey, MP Windsor Tecumseh Essex
2-9733 Tecumseh Rd. E., 316 Talbot St. N, Unit 6 Windsor, ON N8R 1A5 Essex, ON N8M 2E1 519-979-2707 519-776-4700 cherylhardcastle.ndp.ca traceyramsey.ca
WE CAME TO WORK, NOT TO DIE
Unifor Guardian Board members will always remember those who have been injured, lost their lives to work-related incidents or occupational diseases. When a “Worker Dies” a “Family Mourns” as we all feel the pain and loss in our labour family.
DAY OF MOURNING APRIL 28 Remember those killed. Recommit to worker’s health and safety in the workplace.
Because one is too many.
Executive Board, membership and retirees of Locals 195, 240, 1973, 2027 and 2458.