Trump administration to honor fallen workers

The Trump administration will mark Workers’ Memorial Day this week with a series of events across the nation.

The Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) uses the annual holiday to recognize workers who were killed or seriously injured on the job.

“It is a day to honor those workers who have died on the job, to acknowledge the grievous suffering experienced by families and communities, and to recommit ourselves to the fight for safe and healthful workplaces for all workers,” OSHA said in a release.

{mosads}President Trump’s victory in the 2016 election came in part due to working-class voters in the Rust Belt who voted for him despite union leadership mostly endorsing Hillary Clinton. Trump won in the swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Since becoming president, Trump has taken several steps to roll back Obama-era labor regulations, including repealing a rule that required federal contractors to report workplace safety violations and delaying protections for workers who are saving for retirement.

The list of nationwide events includes memorials in 29 states. There are six events in Ohio, three in Wisconsin and six in Pennsylvania.

“American workers are the backbone of our nation’s prosperity and a focal point of President Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda,” the agency said Tuesday. “With the recent increased growth in manufacturing, mining and construction industries, OSHA renews its commitment to making safety a priority.”