Union leaders conduct yearly workers memorial ceremony on La Crosse riverfront

On a cold and wet Sunday at La Crosse’s Green Island Park, a memorial service was held to honor people whose deaths were related to their jobs.

The yearly Workers Memorial ceremony, sponsored by the Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO, recognizes dozens of people in region whose lost their lives at the workplace in recent years.

State Senator Brad Pfaff says citizens need to fight to protect the safety of workers, and to help provide them with medical benefits such as Badgercare. “Far too many workers are still killed and injured on the job,” Pfaff told an audience at the ceremony. “No one should have to risk their life to make a living. Workers deserve dignity and respect and safety on the job.”

The names of area residents who died from job-related causes were read on Sunday, as crosses with their names were planted in the grass at Green Island Park. La Crosse AFL-CIO treasurer Bill Brockmiller says the percentage of workplace deaths in the U.S. has been going up, and he worries that economic factors may contribute to more injuries and deaths.

“In may cases, given the structure of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, it’s less expensive for an employer to pay the fine, even when there’s a fatality, than build and follow safety regulations,” said Brockmiller.

The observance returned to Green Island this year, after being moved away from the riverfront in 2023 because of flooding. The local memorial service is always held nationwide on April 28th, the anniversary of the date that the Occupational Safety and Health Act took effect in 1970.