Workers Memorial Day 2025 - Fight for Our Lives: Safe Jobs Now!

More than 50 years ago, Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) on April 28, 1971, promising every worker the right to a safe job—a fundamental right.  Working people have fought hard to make that promise a reality, winning protections that have made jobs safer and saved thousands of lives. While we have made tremendous progress since OSHA was passed, thousands of workers are killed and millions more suffer injury and illness each year because of dangerous conditions that are mostly preventable. Now, on April 28, we observe Workers Memorial Day to remember all those workers who were killed, injured, or made ill on the job and to renew the fight for safety and health protections. 

Today, we remember the 2 workers who died as a result of workplace illness or injury in Boston last year:

• Matthew Troy
• Barry Medeiros

In 2022, Mayor Michelle Wu created the Worker Empowerment Cabinet to advance the well-being of all working Bostonians in the public and private sectors. Under the leadership of the Worker Empowerment Cabinet, the Office of Labor Compliance and Worker Protections serves as a central resource for Boston workers. All workers have a right to a safe workplace, regardless of their immigration status, and employers must keep the workplace free of known health and safety hazards. The office protects and promotes progressive labor standards and policies and worker protections that create fair and safe workplaces. Of note, the office led the implementation of the City’s Construction and Demolition Safety Ordinance in partnership with the Inspectional Services Department, developers, contractors, OSHA, and health and safety advocates. The Ordinance has positively impacted the health and safety of workers in the industry. Deputy Chief of Worker Empowerment Jodi Sugerman-Brozan said as much in the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety & Health's (MassCOSH) recently released 2025 Dying for Work report,

“Since the implementation of the City's Construction and Demolition Safety Ordinance in 2023, we have not only required Site Safety Plans and Site Safety Coordinators on construction sites in Boston, but also provided free multilingual health and safety training - including OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 - to more than 1,200 workers. We are deeply grateful for the partnership of labor rights advocates like MassCOSH, who make these successes possible. Together, we will continue to use the tools at our disposal to ensure that all workers in Boston can go home to their families alive and well.” 

The City remains committed to protecting and promoting labor standards that ensure the health and safety of all workers. For more information and resources from the Office of Labor Compliance and Worker Protections, including Worker Rights Events, visit boston.gov/labor -policy.