A somber ceremony in St Paul on Wednesday, April 28, 2021, where friends and family gathered around the Worker Memorial on the grounds of State Capitol to remember loved ones who died in workplace accidents.
"August 19, 2019, my husband was killed at work," said Nicole Pumper whose husband Zachary died after sustaining fatal injuries while working on a construction site in Minneapolis. "I'm just taking it day by day still," she said.
Nicole Pumper said her husband always went above and beyond for his family and others. She recalled the hours he spent on the phone trying to secure new constructions jobs for friends who found themselves out of work.
According to the company he was working for at the time, Adolfson & Peterson Construction, Pumper was struck by an earth-moving loader construction vehicle while working on a project at the East Side Storage and Maintenance facility.
Nicole attended the cermony along with her son, who together held a cross with Zach's name on it.
"I just needed to be here, I needed to. We needed to do this for him ." She said he loved being a member of the union. "Yeah it's on his gravestone. Proud member of 563."
The accident was investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, an organization that is marking its 50th year of operation in the United States.
"It has changed how workplaces are governed," said Rosalyn Robertson, the Minnesota Commissioner the Department of Labor and Industry.
She attended the ceremony along with Governor Tim Walz
"Workplaces are much safer today than they were before the OSHA act. But our work is not done. We have to make sure that employees receive the training that they need, that employers take safety and health, serious, that they make it a priority that they ensure that making safety a priority, does not compete with the bottom line," She said
"To the brothers and sisters in labor, who keep this day sacred, thank you, "said Governor Tim Walz.
He said the ceremony took on new meaning this year with the pandemic, "Those 7000 plus Minnesotans who aren't here. No doubt some of them contracted COVID and lost their lives doing their jobs."
Walz is pushing for additional measures to ensure all Minnesotans have a safe and healthy work environment.
“Over the past year, workplace safety has taken on new meaning as essential workers put their lives on the line to support Minnesota through COVID-19,” said Governor Walz. “Today we recommit ourselves to the hard work of ensuring that workplaces across Minnesota are safe, because every worker deserves to know that they will return safely at the end of every day. To those who have lost families and friends over the past year, Gwen and I offer our deepest condolences.”
Walz has proposed additional funding for the Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MNOSHA) to be able to hire additional safety inspectors. He is also pushing for changes to state law that would make OSHA citation data public and increased MNOSHA penalties to conform to federal requirements.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, our health care professionals and frontline workers have put their lives on the line each and every day to deliver the essential goods and services Minnesotans depend on,” said Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. “On Worker Memorial Day we remember those who were sickened, injured, or died as a result of just going to work, and we renew our commitment to protecting Minneosta workers and their families. Let’s get Minnesotans home safe.”
Since 1989, April 28 has been recognized locally and nationally as Worker Memorial Day by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Building Trades Unions, and the AFL-CIO in remembrance of workers who were injured or killed on the job. Governor Walz has declared April 28, 2021, as Worker Memorial Day in the State of Minnesota in honor and remembrance of those who have been injured or lost their lives on the job.
