NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS |
May 5, 2017 | PAGE 11
REMEMBERING WORKERS WHO DIED ON THE JOB. AFSCME Local 2505 members Mike Holman (left)
and Judy Langdon (center) hold flags representing three of 66 workers killed on the job in Oregon in 2016.
The Workers Memorial Day ceremony took place April 24 at the monthly meeting of the Northwest Oregon
Labor Council. In the background, Michelle Parr holds a flag on behalf of her son, Michael Casey Holland.
The 27-year-old construction worker and former Marine died May 5, 2016, when an improperly shored 11-
foot-deep trench collapsed while he and a work crew were installing a sewage line at a home in Southwest
Portland. Following an investigation, the Oregon-Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
fined Holland’s employer, TC Excavating of Portland, $142,800 for five violations, including two “willful” vio-
lations. In a November press release announcing the fines, Oregon OSHA Administrator Michael Wood said
“There is absolutely no good reason for an employer to disregard clear and time-tested excavation rules that
protect workers from such tragedies. This is a time to pause and remember that a young man died, leaving
behind family and friends and co-workers. And it is a time to remind ourselves that this was not some sort of
‘freak accident.’ It was predictable and it was preventable.” Wood (pictured above left with Parr) was the fea-
tured speaker at the Labor Council’s service. Parr, a member of Portland Community College Local 2277, was
comforted by colleague Jaime Rodriguez, also of Local 2277. Sitting at the front with eyes closed is Jeanne
Ramsten, a member of AFSCME Local 88. Similar Workers Memorial Day ceremonies were held throughout
the country the week of April 24-28. The Oregon AFL-CIO held a noon time ceremony at the Fallen Workers
Memorial in Salem. The Washington State Labor Council took part in an observance April 27 at the Department
of Labor & Industries’ building in Tumwater. Seventy-nine workers died on the job in Washington in 2016.