By Mike Clifford

The steps of St Patrick’s Cathedral were jammed with hardhats as workers and managers in the construction trades paid tribute to workers who lost their lives in the past year. Gary LaBarbera is President of the Building and Construction Trades Council in New York

LaBerbera: “Construction is the second most dangerous occupation in the country, and although safety is the most important thing to us, unfortunately accidents do happen, and when one of our brothers or sisters loses their life, it affects us all—it’s a true brotherhood.”

Standing in the doorway of the Cathedral, wearing religious vestments and a hard hat, Deacon Frank Munoz was preparing for the Mass. He brings a special appreciation to Workers Memorial day, because he is also a Lather and Reinforcing Iron Worker a union job that he believes most New Yorkers know little about.

Deacon Munoz: “I think they see work going on and they say union guys are delaying work, union guys are getting paid too much, but they don’t know that we’re the only one in the world that can do a two day cycle. A floor a day, nowhere else in the world can do that, we’re the only ones here in New York.”

Clifford: “You’re standing here in Vestments and a construction hat?”

Deacon Munoz: “Yes I am” Clifford:  “Explain that?

Deacon Munoz: “I am also ordained as a Deacon for the Archdiocese of New York three years ago, so I serve the people in my community about Christ, but I also serve New York with building the high rises.”

This is only the third year that New York took time out to remember the fallen on Worker’s Memorial Day; there was no such day when Iron Workers Union Council President Eddie Walsh lost his dad.

Walsh: “My father was a member of the Machine Riggers Local 170 in New York, and they were taking some printing presses out, and unfortunately the boom buckled and he was underneath the load.”

Clifford: “You feel like it is safer today, why?”

Walsh: “Because we have legislation, we work hand in hand with the employers as well as the legislators here in the city and in New York State.”

Clifford: “So apprenticeships things like that?”

Walsh: “Most definitely the training; they are trained, we’ve got registered apprentice programs with the state, we’ve got skilled people that do the job.”

Long Island Business Agent Ronnie Richardson with Local 46 was one of the thousands who paid his respects. He agrees the job is safer and workers are far better trained in 2010. At the same time he notes economic pressures are greater than they have been in many years. He says that’s a big part of the picture in Manhattan this Worker’s Memorial Day. 

Richardson: “You know we work hard, and now with the economy the way it is, they’re pushing us to work a little bit harder every day to make the money and unfortunately guys get hurt so, we’re under a lot of pressure to get the job done right and on time. And, you know the most important thing for us, is that we come back to our families at the end of the day—so we are here to pay our respects to the ones that didn’t.

In New York, Mike Clifford for Workers Independent News.