Fallen Workers Honored During Annual Memorial Day Event
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FREWSBURG -- Hank Hoisington on Saturday wore a pin featuring a caged yellow canary. He said it was a reference to the idiom "a canary in a coal mine," where coal miners would carry canaries with them into the mines, aware that the birds would be the first to detect dangerous gases and give miners time to escape.
The canary reference was also included in the wreath Hoisington -- a member of the Dunkirk Central Labor Council -- and George Spitale of the Jamestown Central Labor Council placed Saturday near the Chautauqua County Workers' Memorial Gazebo at the Erlandson Overview Park in Frewsburg. The Workers' Memorial Committee hosted its 18th annual Memorial Day program to honor those killed or injured on the job in the county.
During Saturday's ceremony, in which several local labor representatives and elected officials spoke, the names of over 140 men and women killed on the job, in the line of duty or from job-related causes were read aloud. Those names have been added to bricks recently installed at the memorial site in Frewsburg.
Among those who spoke at the ceremony was State Sen. Cathy Young, R-Olean, who noted that there were 5,195 job-related deaths in 2016, a 7 percent increase from 2015. The Bureau of Labor Statistics' Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries said 2016 -- the most recent data -- was the third consecutive increase in work fatalities.
"It's been going up and we need to do something about it," Young said Saturday. "Our work (in the state Senate) is not done It's far from done."
Young also mentioned a plaque that was installed this year at the New York state Capitol to honor Samuel Abbott who died after a massive fire ripped through the statehouse on March 29, 1911. Abbott -- a decorated Civil War veteran -- was working as a night watchman when a fire broke out inside the Capitol.
State Assemblyman Andy Goodell said each death mentioned Saturday had "a ripple effect on the community."
"Each one left a family without father, without a mother, without a brother, without a sister," said Goodell, R-Jamestown. "We honor those who got up in the morning and left loved ones behind."
"We need to make sure we do everything possible to minimize the injuries on the job site," he continued.
Bonnie Peters, Civil Service Employees Association Local 807 president, said, "Let's strive to make every work place safer and healthier. Every worker deserves a safe environment to work. Let's do everything we can to protect every worker."
Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello said he came from a labor background, noting that "for too many years, safety was not a focus. … We've come a long way since those days."
Workers' Memorial Day has been observed in both northern and southern Chautauqua County since the 1980s by their respective labor councils. The memorial site is a cooperation between county government, the County Parks Commission, local labor organizations and donations.