W.S.L.C.
Workers Memorial Day: ‘Our work is not yet done’
The following comments were delivered at the Workers Memorial Day commemoration at the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries in Tumwater on April 24.
by APRIL SIMS
TUMWATER, WA (April 28, 2025) — On behalf of the Washington State Labor Council’s 600 affiliated unions representing more than half a million workers, thank you to the Department of Labor and Industries, and to every worker who carries forward the mission of protecting the people who power our communities.
Workers Memorial Day is indeed a day of grief and reflection — but also a day of purpose.
We remember those who went to work and never came home, and those whose lives were changed forever by injury or illness. The names we hear today are not just numbers to be tallied. They are dreams unfulfilled. They are family members missing from our lives. They are workers, who went to work one morning and never came home.
To the loved ones of those we’ve lost — the labor movement sees you, and we hold your grief with you. And to the workers who are in service of safety and care, thank you. Your work matters. It saves lives.
There is a phrase that echoes through union halls every April 28: Mourn for the dead, and fight for the living. It was true when Mother Jones first said it more than a century ago, and it’s still true today.
We continue that fight today because we know the losses we mark here today were not inevitable. They were not natural. They were, in fact, preventable.
And because they were preventable, we are called — each of us — to continue the work of prevention. That means listening to workers. That means enforcing safety rules. That means investing in systems, oversight, and training before the accident, not just after.
And ee are making progress, with laws that better protect our youth workers and hard-fought wins that shield outdoor workers from deadly heat.
But progress doesn’t mean the work is done. Until every worker in Washington can finish their shift and make it home safely, we cannot not rest.
So today, we remember, and we recommit.
We raise our voices — as workers, as families, as leaders — and we say clearly: Every worker deserves a safe job and every family deserves to be whole.
Let our remembrance lead us to action. Let our grief fuel our resolve.
And let our solidarity be the force that ensures no more names are added to the list we read today.
May the families find peace and comfort in the memories of their lost loved ones and in knowing that our work is not yet done. We mourn the dead. And we fight for the living.
Below are the names of Washingtonians who lost their lives on the job or whose deaths were recognized as work-related in 2024:
Brian Albert Annis-Levings
Rafael Arreola
Gerald Edward Baucum
Paul Michael Berliner
Philip Edwin Bramson
Elisha Atiko Brian
Celso Alejandro Bustos Guerrero
Dvorah “Charlie” Carrasco
Charles Ronald Cato
Alan Anthony Chang
Karl Martin Christensen
Dakota Austin Cline
Sean Joseph Coffey
Robert Emery Conner
Curtis John Cooper
James Dean
Robert “Bob” Dwayne Deatherage
Jose “Joe” Ines M. DeLeon
Robert Charles Dupuy
James Harold Duterrow Sr.
Jeremy David Eaton
Carlos Francisco Fernandez
Phil O’Bryant Ferrell
Christopher “Chris” Michael Gadd
Sharon Lee Gilliland-Culbert
Charles Herbert Gorr
Mark Edward Haubrick
Benito Hernandez Nunez
Daniel Lee Hoffer
Nicholas Frank Hokema
Brian Louis Holdener
Justin Kyle Jepson
Mark Edward Johnson
Mikiyas Yonas Kebede
Karl Joseph Keller
Sergey M Kubay
Stephen Roy Larby
Earl Kenneth Lehew
Diane Mavis Llewellyn
Eddie Ray Long
Leonard Ernest Loreen
Earl Stewart Louderback
Jose Luis Martinez Pineda
Wayne Ersell McIntyre Jr
Charles Leo McVey
Kendall Robert Meldrum
Juan Meza Rodriguez
Rhonda Lee Mikels
Michael Paul Munson
Anthony James Nalley
James L Narad
Ernest Amos Ormsbee
Michael James Owens
Drake Edwin Pilcher
Ryan Thomas Pleasants
Esther Mae Powell
Michael Conrad Preece Jr
James David Prescott
Robert ” Bobby” Gene Preston SR
Lawrence Joseph Reuwer
Scott Alan Richey
Amber Marie Rodriguez
Rene Rodriguez Beltran
Wayne Chris Ruby
Ryan Charles Ruckman
Timothy A Russell
Eric Michael Saint
John Raymond Scerbik
Dwight George Schneider
Abdikadir “Gedi” Gedi Shariif
Denis Sinev
Malkeet Singh
Jerome Skinner
Dennis Leroy Slater
Richard Gene Slocum
Leslee Denise Smith
Robert “Mike” Michael Spurrell
Randall Lynn Strickland
Ferman Emmett Stubblefield
James Herbert Dawson Stull
William John Stump
Laupule Miracle George Talaga
Gary James Taubeneck
James Cornelus Thomas
Otineru B. Tinifu
Darrin Duray Towe
Kimberly Nymah Unti
Mary Ann Valentine
Bohdan Vetrov
Jesus Villa Ambriz
Viktor Arsentievic Voloshin
Dean Gerld Warren
Rodney Candies Wheeler
Edward Wolf
Alex Sau Won
Shawn J Yim
Daniel Thomas Zarate
