Media Advisory: On One Month Anniversary of Tragic Death, Labor and Community Groups Gather for Vigil to Mourn the Loss of Local Food Worker & Demand End to Unsafe Working Conditions
WWJ and their allies will also demand that Rich Products Corporation and all employers in Will County immediately commit to fixing workplace health and safety issues for all permanent and temporary workers who make their operations possible.
Joliet, IL — On the one month anniversary of the death of Adewale “Wale” Ogunyemi, Warehouse Workers for Justice, the United African Organization, and the Temp Worker Union Alliance Project, community groups, faith leaders and elected officials will hold a candlelight vigil in Ogunyemi’s memory as the community mourns the loss of a father, husband, and essential food warehouse worker unnecessarily killed in a preventable workplace tragedy.
“Like many others we were devastated to hear of the passing of Wale Ogunyemi,” said Marcos Ceniceros, Associate Director of Warehouse Workers for Justice, “At the vigil, we will honor his passing and bring the community together for safety and change in the workplace.”
Since 2014, the federal government has recommended that employers adopt best practices to ensure that all its workers, including temporary workers, are afforded equal protections for equal work. The vigil will mourn the loss of a worker, and participants will collectively envision a future where all workers are protected and do not have to fear for their lives.
WHO: Warehouse Workers for Justice, United African Organization, Food Chain Workers Alliance, Chicago Workers Collaborative, Heal Food Alliance, Temp Worker Union Alliance Project, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
WHAT: Candlelight Vigil
WHEN: Friday, August 20th, 2021 at 6:00pm Central
WHERE: Parking Lot of Diocese of Joliet Building, 16555 Weber Road Crest Hill, IL 60403
PRESS CONTACTS:
Roberto Clack, Warehouse Workers for Justice 312.450.1972, roberto@warehouseworker.org
Tommy Carden, Warehouse Workers for Justice, 312.206.8901 tommy@warehouseworker.org
Based in Joliet, Illinois, Warehouse Workers for Justice is a worker center fighting for stable, living-wage jobs in warehouses and distribution centers. We educate workers about labor rights, teach folks how to enforce their rights, organize in the workplace and community and fight for public and private policies that promote full-time work at decent wages in the warehouse industry.
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