Media Advisory: Community and Essential Worker Organizations Collaborate To Host Worker Memorial Day Two Years Into The Pandemic
Thursday’s Memorial Is Part of A Series of Events Happening Across The County Organized by the National Coalition for Occupational Health and Safety
Media Contacts: Jose Frausto, Chicago Workers Collaborative, jose@chicagoworkerscollaborative.org, 773.456.5482
Thursday, April 28th, 2022 Chicago- Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic unions, workers centers and community organizations will rally in Pilsen today to memorialize essential workers who have died of COVID-19 and other workplace hazards. “Our organization had 5 of our members die from COVID,” said Jose Frausto, Leadership and Advocacy Director of the Chicago Workers Collaborative. “Some of these deaths happened early on in crowded workplaces where workers didn’t even have masks and PPE, let alone access to a vaccine.” Organizations like the workers collaborative and the Warehouse Workers for Justice had members in worksites with some of the highest rates of infections in the state during the height of the pandemic. Organizers of the events say underlying conditions at these worksites made dangerous conditions even worse. “A lot of our members don’t have health insurance or paid time off, this has to change,” said Frausto.
Chicago Jobs With Justice, an alliance of union and community groups is calling for the implementation of work-safe committees. “COVID and other workplace safety issues aren’t going away,” said Jill Manrique, Organizer with Chicago Jobs With Justice. “We need permanent workplace safety committees for essential workers and we need to make sure these workers are getting fair wages with benefits, too. If we want to honor the work of essential workers, then we think this is only fair.”
What: Workers’ Memorial Day Event
When: Thursday, April 28th, 6pm
Where: Blue Island and Loomis Plaza in Pilsen (Corner of Loomis and Blue Island)
Who: Chicago Workers Collaborative, Warehouse Workers for Justice, Chicago Jobs With Justice, Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez, Jessie Cruz National Coalition of Occupational Health and Safety, Don Villar Chicago Federation of Labor Reverend Robert C. Jones II, Mt Carmel Mount Baptist Church Plus Essential Workers, Temp Worker Justice, Chicago Gig Alliance
Founded in 2000, the Chicago Workers' Collaborative promotes the creation of stable, living wage jobs with race, class, and gender equity for precarious workers in the Chicago region.
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