Workers Commemorate Workers Memorial Day and Demand Job Safety Protections

Attendees Honor IBEW Member Sam Ward Recently Killed on the Job

     Decatur, Illinois — Fifty-five years ago, on April 28, 1971, the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) took effect. OSHA promised every worker the right to a safe job and was won because of the tireless efforts of the labor movement.
This April 28, in honor of Workers’ Memorial Day, union members and community leaders gathered at the Workers’ Memorial located on the NW corner of the Macon County Courthouse Lawn (253 W. Wood Street, Decatur) to mark Workers’ Memorial Day, remembering workers who have died or suffered illness or injuries while on the job.
Bagpipes were played as the Mid-Illinois Labor Council (MILC) read the names of 646 Macon County workers who have been killed on the job over the years. The ceremony rallied a pledge to continue to fight for safe jobs while remembering the sacrifice of workers like electrician Samuel Ward (IBEW 146 member) who was electrocuted at the Clinton Power Station in November of 2025.
     The event also featured an honor guard, laying of the wreath by Mr. Ward’s family, a prayer and a moment of silence.
     “Safety on the job is our basic right,” said John Warner, MILC President. “As we mourn the loss of our union brother, Sam Ward, we are demanding that elected officials and employers do more to ensure that all workers can go home safely to our families at the end of the day.”
     The guest speaker was Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, who spoke about the fight that workers and the labor movement waged for generations to win on-the-job protection.
     In addition to the name of Sam Ward, a second person, Terry Lynn Smart’s name, was also etched into the monument. He was a Decatur truck driver who was killed out of state in an automobile accident while on the job in 1981.
“We are constantly doing research and asking folks to give us names of workers who either lived or worked in Macon County when they were killed on the job,” said Lloyd Holman, chair of the Workers’ Memorial monument. “We want no worker left behind. Adding their names to the monument provides a place to honor them while raising awareness.”
     To submit a worker’s name (any worker – not just union workers) for consideration to be placed on the Workers’ Memorial monument, contact the Workers’ Memorial chair Lloyd Holman at 217-620-4923 or Mid-Illinois Labor Council President John Warner at 217-855-2839. Mid-Illinois Labor Council is a central labor council of the AFL-CIO and represents union members and retirees in Macon, Moultrie, Shelby, Effingham and Piatt Counties.