Every Worker Every Day: commemorating Workers Memorial Day

All are invited to the annual UW Worker Memorial Day Ceremony, a joint event of University departments, NW Center for Occupational health & Safety, and local labor unions

SEATTLE, WA (April 8, 2026) — Every year, organized labor and worker advocates mark Workers Memorial Day, commemorating working people who’ve lost their lives on the job or due to occupational illness or injury. It’s an annual day of reckoning with the work still needed to improve safety and health protections on worksites, ensuring that every worker makes it home safely at the end of the day.

The University of Washington’s departments focused on workers safety and wellbeing jointly host an annual event with the Northwest Center for Occupational Health & Safety and several labor unions and organizations, many of whom represent workers on UW campuses. This year’s ceremony will be April 27 from 12:00pm to 12:45 pm at the Intellectual House on UW’s Seattle Campus. Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson will join as the event’s featured speaker.

From the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies:

Each year thousands of workers are killed and millions more injured or diseased because of their jobs. Please join us on Worker Memorial Day to honor those who have died in 2025 from a work-related injury or illness in King County. This special ceremony will raise awareness about how we can strengthen our commitment to make jobs safer and save lives in Washington State.

This event is a joint program provided by the University of Washington (UW) Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) Northwest Center for Occupational Health & Safety, Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies, University of Washington Environmental Health and Safety (UW EHS), Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 925, Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE), Washington State Labor Council, Local 1495/American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 28, Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) Local 4121, and UW DEOHS Occupational Safety and Health Continuing Education Programs.

Space is limited for this in-person event. For more information, directions to the venue, and registration, visit the UW website.