Every day, sixteen workers are killed in the United States because of reckless negligence on the part of their employers--a sad fact we are reminded of more today than others. That's because today is Workers Memorial Day, the national day to honor the hundreds of thousands of workers killed and injured on the job every year.

The purpose behind Workers' Memorial Day has always been to "remember the dead" and "fight for the living." But "fighting for the living" involves more than employer-provided health coverage--workplace safety plays just as vital a role.

Every April 28 since 1970, the international labor movement has stopped this day to commemorate the lives and sacrifices of workers who never made it home, and to renew the struggle for safer and healthier workplaces. This struggle is more important as ever, as 2008 saw 5,214 workers killed on the job. Another 50,000 died from occupational diseases and at least 4.6 million workers were reported injured. That total could be pushed to as many as 14 million workers, when you factor in unreported injuries.

What also makes today significant: it is the first April 28th to be officially marked as Workers Memorial Day--as declared by a Presidential Proclamation announced by Obama this morning.

In the President's Proclamation today, he calls on "all Americans to participate in ceremonies and activities in memory of those who have been killed due to unsafe working conditions." For lists of events around the country and more, check out Workers Memorial Day resources from the AFL-CIO here. Listing of events and memorials across the UK here.

It's time to change the feeble and inadequate rules that fail to protect workers on the job. Do your part by signing the petition to demand Congress pass the Protecting America's Workers Act now.