On Wednesday April 29th over one-thousands New York City building and construction workers gathered at St. Patrick’s Cathedral for the 15th Annual Memorial Mass to remember co-workers that tragically died on the job over the past year and those that have died on-the-job in the past.
Fourteen chairs were positioned above the pulpit steps in the church, each displaying a white hard hat with the name of a lost construction worker, along with a red rose. The bilingual mass was led by Father Brian Jordan, chaplain to the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York. Father Brian Jordan offered his homily from the pulpit of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Each chair represents a worker, union or non-union, killed on the job since May 1st of last year. Fourteen workers died in workplace accidents over the last 12 months. The 15th chair represented all those who have died in accidents in previous years. Nine of those killed were non-union, a point that Father Jordan waved away. “We are all equal in death,” he said.
“Since March of 2008 until now, over 272 members of the construction industry have died in New York City. That’s an average of nearly 14-15 per year. Where is God in all this? Well, God is right here next to you and me right now, as mutual sisters and brothers of the same God, to support one another. We’re here to remember wonderful people who gave their lives for what they believed in: for their family, for their industry, and even for their local,” he said. Father Jordan expressed concern when discussing possible changes to safety standards for workers. “There are rumors of the elimination of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Department of Labor. How dare they even think about that? We need OSHA more than ever. It was created in 1970 to help preserve the gift of human life. We need the workplace to be safe. By cutting corners, you cannot cut corners. You’re cutting the dignity of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness from family members who want their husbands, their wives, and their loved ones to go home at night. How dare they think about that?” Following the homily, the names of each person who died in a construction workplace accident during the past year were read aloud, followed by a chime from a bell made of materials recovered from the 9/11 site. Families of the deceased who were in attendance were invited to come up at the end of the Mass to collect the hard hat and rose in memory of their loved one.
New York State’s construction industry remains dangerous for workers. Fatalities are increasing each year. Non-union job sites remained especially hazardous for workers. NYCOSH analyzed OSHA’s 44 New York State-based construction fatality investigations in 2023 and found that in New York State, 77% of the construction workers who died were non-union. The number of construction workers who died in New York State increased from 50 workers in 2022 to 74 workers in 2023.
New York State Labor Law §240 known as the Scaffold Safety Law, is critical for protecting construction workers by allowing injured workers to sue employers and building owners in cases of falls. This legislation is a cornerstone of worker safety. Carlos’ Law, enacted in 2023, increases penalties against corporations responsible for worker injuries or deaths, with fines now reaching up to $500,000.
