Honoring Fallen Construction Workers at St. Patrick’s Cathedral

With 16 white hard hats on the altar of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, we honored the lives of the construction workers who lost their lives in our city in the past year.

“We are here to give a good memorial to Mr. Jeremy Rozan, he was 34 years old, I knew him for almost five years and I remember when he went into construction with us on part of the bridges,” said Ángel Díaz, organizer, union Structural Steel and Bridge Painters Local 806, District Council 9.

The Building and Construction Trades Council of New York has organized this tribute for 15 years and they do it to remember those who are no longer there and to raise awareness about the importance of safety, in addition to the rights of workers and the support they they have through unions.

“We were dying on the job very often, especially those that don’t have a union, union representation and nobody was doing anything, nobody was calling out to the city, to the Department of Buildings, to OSHA, why this is happening.” added Santos Rodríguez, chief of staff, NY Construction Council union.

According to the New York Department of Buildings, in 2022 there were 554 injuries and 11 deaths from construction-related work, considered one of the most dangerous jobs.

Many of the deceased are from the Latino community.

“We have a brother who recently passed away on March 24, from a job that is not too far away,” said Donovan Mejía, Carpintero Local 157, Hermandad de Carpinteros Union. “You try to take care of yourself and, as I told you, things happen and he fell in an accident and died.”

The priest who offered the mass reiterated that the workers go out on rainy, sunny days and work with their hands and on their feet for long hours, always wanting to return home safely.

“We try to get back to the house in one piece. ‘So’, it is important to support the people who have fallen, may God have them in glory and keep going, follow this tradition,” said Ángelo de la Cruz, a construction worker.

And throughout the Mass, not only were the lives of those who have fallen doing this important work in recent years and throughout time honored, but also those who today go out every day to build New York City.