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At a memorial to honor workers who have died during the pandemic, 600 handmade crosses -- each bearing the name of a fallen worker -- were arrayed on the lawn at Villa Parke in Pasadena. | T.A. Hendrickson/Boulevard Sentinel
Local labor leaders demand justice for workers who have borne the brunt of COVID-19
By Zach Goodwin
Most years, Workers’ Memorial Day, April 28, is a time to remember those killed or injured on the job and to call on politicians and employers to improve safety.
This year, at a local event by the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) and its community allies, the day took on an extra dimension. There was more loss and more grief because COVID-19 has disproportionately claimed the lives of lower-income, Latinx and Black people, many of them workers who could not work from home. This loss and grief fueled demands not only for safety, but for justice — for ending the systemic exploitation of workers laid bare by the pandemic.