SF Meeting-Remember The Dead and Fight For The Living Defend Health/Safety For All Workers

4/27 /19 San Francisco Workers Memorial Day
SF Meeting-Remember The Dead and Fight For The Living Defend Health & Safety For All Workers and the People


Saturday, April 27, 2019 7 PM

ILWU Local 34
801 - 2nd St. SF (next to AT&T Ball Park)


Last year, over 5,000 workers were killed on the job in the US and hundreds of thousands were injured. Nearly all of these deaths and injuries could have been avoided if we had proper health and safety protection and enforcement in the United States. This also does not count the millions of workers who die from industrial illnesses and sickness that could have been prevented.

OSHA and the Department of Labor are also under attack not only by budget cuts but also by managers and executives who represent the companies that they are supposed to regulate. At the same time in California, there are only 220 OSHA inspectors for 18.5 million workers. There are more Fish and Game inspectors than health and safety inspectors for workers.

Many workers are afraid to speak up for health and safety for fear of being retaliated against and fired even if they are in a union. Nonunion workers, as well as immigrant and undocumented workers, face even greater threats of retaliation and firings and even arrests by ICE for speaking up.

In California today, there is also a major corruption scandal with the former director of the Division of Industrial Relations Christine Baker forced to resign for placing her daughter on the payroll and fraudulently charging the people of California for work she did not do.

Baker also supported bullied and retaliated against whistleblowers at California OSHA and pushed deregulation of workers compensation for more control by the insurance industry.

Today, seriously injured workers in California need to get a union-busting company Maximus to approve their medical claims. This company received a $40 million no-bid contract and has a record of denying workers their healthcare, making more profits for the insurance industry and employers. This privatization of the workers' compensation system has led to workers losing their homes, families and even committing suicide. This must STOP. We will remember the workers who have died or been injured on this day but we also must defend the whistleblowers who put their careers and lives on the line to protect our health and safety.

The deregulation and privatization of agencies like the FAA in the case of Boeing is a prime example of the failure of our government to protect workers and the public.

In California, the Wells Fargo scandal is another example of whistleblowers who refused to set up fake accounts who were bullied and terminated, This is also the case at Hunters Point Shipyard and Treasure Island where whistleblowers at Test Amer- ica and Tetra Tech tried to protect the public and were bullied, harassed and fired putting the communities health and safety in jeopardy. There has been no Cal-OSHA investigation.

We need a strong health and safety movement on all our jobs to protect our lives and our families. Please Join Us On Workers Memorial Day To Stand Up For Our Health And Safety and Those Who Protect It


Initial Speakers,

Brenda Barros - SEIU 1021 SF General Hospital Chair
Roger Scott - AFT 2121 Former President And Delegate To SF Labor Council
Caroline Vertongen - OSHA whistleblower
Darrell Whitman - Federal OSHA Whistleblower Protection Program Lawyer
Darla Brown - SEIU 1021 Oakland HIghland Hospital Unit Secretary

Sponsored by California Coalition For Workers Memorial Day, United Public Workers For Action (info [at] upwa.info)