Elected officials, labor groups honor Workers Memorial Day

Published 1:24 pm Thursday, April 23, 2026

EVERETT — Local elected officials and labor leaders gathered in Everett on Wednesday to honor Workers Memorial Day, which commemorates workers who have been killed or injured on job sites over the previous year.

Workers Memorial Day, first observed in 1989, also serves as a way for labor groups to advocate for safer working conditions on job sites. The local commemoration was organized by the Snohomish and Island County Labor Council, a group of dozens of local labor unions.

“Today, we honor the dead, and we will continue to fight like hell for the living,” Snohomish County Council Chair Megan Dunn said at the event Wednesday.

At the commemoration, labor representatives read the names of the 108 workers across the state of Washington who died in workplaces last year. Six were from Snohomish County.

Both Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers and Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin issued proclamations recognizing Worker’s Memorial Day, while the Snohomish County Council also approved a resolution Wednesday honoring the observance.

“I encourage all our residents to honor our workers, remember the lives lost and continue to advocate for safer workplaces for everyone,” Franklin said at Wednesday’s commemoration.

In 2024, the most recent year with data available, about 2.5 million people were injured or contracted illnesses on the job across the country, according to federal data. A total of 5,070 people died on the job nationwide. The rates of both workplace injuries and deaths declined slightly between 2023 and 2024.

The 1-ton worker’s memorial structure, located at the Mission Building Courtyard near the Snohomish County Campus, was commissioned by local labor groups 25 years ago and dedicated on Worker’s Memorial Day in 2001, according to the Seattle Times.

Workers Memorial Day is celebrated across the world on April 28.

Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.