Legislative Alert: April 28, 2026

President's Message: Workers’ Memorial Day: Remembering Those We Lost on the Job and Continuing the Fight for Workplace Safety

On Worker’s Memorial Day, April 28th, we honor those who left for work and never made it home to their families. No one should have to risk illness or death to earn a living. No family should grieve the loss of a loved one due to unsafe working conditions, which are completely preventable. Workers’ Memorial Day is not only a day of remembrance, but an opportunity to recommit to our fight for strong safety and health protections for working people.  

As State leaders finalize the budget, we urge them to act to include meaningful protections for transportation workers from danger they are exposed to on the job. One reckless act or avoidable driving incident can lead to serious injury or death. The following proposals send a clear message that threats to the safety of transportation workers will not be tolerated, and that New York State is serious about protecting them.

We support increasing the criminal penalty for assaulting transportation workers and creating new penalties for drivers who intrude on work zones. No worker should fear violence, injury or death while interacting with the public.

We also support expanding the work zone speed camera program. The workers who maintain our highways risk their lives to keep the public safe. Expanding this program will deter dangerous driving in work zones and save lives.

The New York State AFL-CIO will continue to advocate for safer workplaces to ensure every worker returns home safely at the end of the day. This is the only way to honor the memories of those we have lost.

Mario Cilento, President 

Upcoming Meeting

LABOR LOBBYISTS MEETING 
Monday, May 11, 2026, 1:00 p.m. 
This meeting will be located at the Albany office of the NYS AFL-CIO, 100 South Swan St. Albany, NY. 
This meeting is for labor representatives only. 
Please RSVP to Nagma Singh at [email protected]