Inspiration for this memorial for all workers started with a construction workers tragic death in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on April 19, 2000. Antonio Garcia-Reyes was working at a construction site on the campus of Stillman College when he apparently lost his balance and fell three (3) stories.
The following year as this country struggled with the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, and the death of Antonio Garcia-Reyes still fresh in our minds, the Committee thought it would be impressive if it could build a memorial designed around a portion of the World Trade Center to honor those killed or injured in the work place including the 2749 people that were working and perished on September 11, 2001. We contacted our United States Representative in Washington, D.C., the Alabama Red Cross and operating engineers at Ground Zero with our idea and even before we knew what we wanted, we had a seven-foot section of I-beam from World Trade Center, Tower One.
The Workers Memorial Committee has designed Workers Memorial Commons, a memorial that would commemorate all workers, using that fragment of I-beam recovered from the World Trade Center. Our plans are to construct the Memorial on River Walk in Tuscaloosa, Alabama along the Black Warrior River Scenic Byway.
The Workers Memorial Committee is appealing to individuals, communities, industries and organizations for support of Workers Memorial Commons with contributions to Workers Memorial Commons Foundation, Inc.
Progress in protecting workers' safety and health has been slowing as we move from larger industries with established safety programs to smaller businesses that have yet to implement safeguards for their employees. Most recent job fatality data (2006), from 'Death on the Job' Report, 2008, show 5,840 fatal workplace injuries reported, up 2% from the previous years 5734 reported fatal injuries.
