The writers of this blog spend a lot of time encouraging readers to reflect by thinking about the lives of others who are less fortunate, where each individual reader has been, and where they are headed. We often encourage advocates for workers’ rights and safety. This encouragement does sometimes come at the expense of business profits. But keeping workers safe is always the right thing to do.

Observing Workers’ Memorial Day on Monday, April 28, is one way to take the time to reflect, act as an advocate, and help workers and their loved ones. This AFL-CIO fact sheet included the thought-provoking quotation below, along with some specific points that encourage action.

“This year we will come together to call for good jobs in this country for all workers. We will seek stronger safeguards to prevent injuries and save lives. We will stand for the right of all workers to raise job safety concerns without fear of retaliation, and for the freedom to form unions and speak out and bargain for respect and a better future.”

By reflecting on the risks that all workers take and acting to promote safety, we think Workers’ Memorial Day will be even more successful. And most importantly, all of our loved ones will have safer workplaces.

There are many resources to access to find out more about Workers’ Memorial Day events near you. Today’s blog post was written a couple of weeks in advance of the events so people can plan ahead to attend.

Here are some links, along with the specific information for Nebraska and Iowa:

Iowa

• Workers’ Memorial Day Ceremony
  Friday, Apr. 25, 11 a.m.
  Iowa Workforce Development, Des Moines
  via http://www.iowaworkforce.org/labor/index.html

Nebraska has three separate events available to the public this year. 

• USMWF’s 5K Family Fun Run/Walk Fundraiser
  Sunday, April 27, 1:30 p.m., Registration Starts
  Holmes Lake Park, Lincoln
  via http://www.usmwf.org/NE5KRUN.htm to sign up, learn about fees, and get more details about the event
• Nebraska’s 3^rd Annual Safety Expo
  Monday, April 28, 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
  IBEW Local 265 Union Hall, 6200 S. 14^th St., Lincoln
  Via http://www.usmwf.org/NE5KRUN.htm
  The event is free, but space is limited, and registration is required by printing out or emailing this form http://www.usmwf.org/safety_expo_form.pdf As of April 9, there were still spaces available to attend.
• 5th Annual Workers’ Memorial Day Candlelight Vigil
  Monday, Apr. 28, 7 p.m.
  Nebraska State Capitol, Lincoln
  via http://www.usmwf.org/NE5KRUN.htm This event is also free, and no registration is needed.
  According to the Lancaster County Democratic Party, via email in 2013, “representatives from State, Federal, United Support Memorial for Workplace Fatalities (USMWF), Unions, Co-workers, Employers and the community come together and honor the men and women that have been injured or killed in a preventable work related incident.”

Please see the websites below for more general details about Workers’ Memorial Day: http://www.workermemorialday.org/WMD2014.htm  

• Message from the AFL-CIO about Workers’ Memorial Day, along with information about events in various states for the day that others have posted http://www.aflcio.org/Issues/Job-Safety/WorkersMemorialDay
• Message from the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health about Workers’ Memorial Week of Action from April 21-28 http://coshnetwork.org/workers-memorial-week-action-0