Faith in the Public Square

Workers across the United States and beyond mark April 28 as “Workers’ Memorial Day” a day of remembrance for those killed on the job.   Locally, the  Capital District Area Labor Federation  is sponsoring a program on at 11 a.m. this Friday at the  Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Saratoga Springs , at 624 North Broadway.   The ceremony will include not just a message from local labor leaders and workplace safety experts, but also a remembrance of those who lost their lives on the job this year in the Capital District .   For more information, email  kgarbarino@cdalf.org   According to the  Catholic Labor Network , work-related injuries claim the lives of approximately 5,000 Americans each year, while a much larger number fall victim of occupational diseases after extended workplace exposures to hazardous substances. The Catholic Labor Network states:  Death on the job may be a rarity for those of us fortunate enough to work in off...

The Labor-Religion Coalition of New York State will hold its Virtual Moral Fusion Leadership Awards on November 17 to “honor leaders who were on the front lines of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, meeting critical needs in our communities and fighting for justice, equity, and protection for workers.”     The recipients this year are:   Mark Emanatian (Capital District Area Labor Federation) and Sister Betsy VanDeusen (Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany), who partnered with the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York to coordinate hundreds of drive-through mass food distributions throughout the Capital Region during the pandemic.   Workers at Pindar Vineyards (RWDSU/UFCW Local 338), who this year became the first group of farmworkers in the state to unionize under the 2019 Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act.   Albany Medical Center Nurses (NYSNA), who won a fair first contract that offers them a stronger voice in patient care, as well as...