A solemn crowd of about 100 people gathered Monday afternoon at Wheeling’s Heritage Port to remember eight West Virginians who lost their lives on the job in 2024. The ceremony, held beside the statue of labor leader Walter Reuther, marked the 37th annual Workers Memorial Day.
Hosted by the AFL-CIO, the event paid tribute to workers who died while also shining a spotlight on the need for stronger workplace safety protections. The names of the fallen — Wilbert Adkins Jr., Robert Amos, Ashley Cogar, William Crandall, James Kirk, Ryan Lantz, Virgil Paynter, and Colton Walls — were read aloud. These individuals worked across various industries, including coal mining, transportation, and public service.
Workers Memorial Day, observed every year on April 28, honors those killed, injured, or made ill by workplace conditions. It also serves as a call to action to improve safety standards and enforcement.
Standing before the Reuther statue, speakers reflected on the sacrifices of workers past and present. Walter Reuther, a civil rights advocate and former president of the United Automobile Workers union, remains a symbol of the labor movement’s fight for dignity and safety in the workplace.
The event’s keynote speaker, United Mine Workers of America President Cecil E. Roberts, delivered a passionate speech about the painful legacy of workplace deaths and the critical role of unions in protecting workers.
“If you really, really want to honor these fallen workers, don’t do it in just one day,” Roberts urged. “Yes, we’ll read the names of those lost this past year — but we must also remember those lost every year before that.”
Roberts contrasted the responses of management and labor to workplace tragedies. “A plant manager may forget by next year, but a union officer who knocks on a family’s door, or a co-worker who stood beside the fallen — they never forget,” he said.
Art “Sonny” Oakland, President of the Marshall-Wetzel-Tyler Labor Council, reminded the crowd that more than 21,000 coal miners in West Virginia have died since mining fatalities began being recorded in 1883. That number doesn’t include the many who died later from job-related illnesses.
“Everyone deserves to go to work and come home safe,” Oakland said. “They call these protections ‘blood laws’ — because someone had to die before action was taken.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 5,000 workers died from job-related injuries across the U.S. in 2023, with millions more suffering injuries or illnesses.
Josh Sword, President of the West Virginia AFL-CIO, emphasized that many of the laws meant to protect workers are not strong enough to prevent these tragedies.
“Our job is not finished,” Sword said. “Too many employers violate safety rules without facing any real consequences.”
Sword pointed to ongoing federal discussions that could lead to the repeal of OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which was signed into law on April 28, 1971. OSHA plays a key role in protecting workers from hazardous job conditions.
“We all have a part to play in this fight,” Sword said. “And our goal is simple: to make sure that one day, on Workers Memorial Day, there are no names left to read.”
The Wheeling ceremony closed with a moment of silence and a renewed call to action — a promise that these lives would not be forgotten, and that the work toward safer workplaces will continue.
