New Brunswick Marks Workers’ Memorial Day at Construction Site

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ (May 7, 2026) - Local officials and labor leaders gathered on April 28 at the construction site of the HELIX health and life sciences hub to observe Workers' Memorial Day, which honors laborers who have been killed or injured on the job.

Mayor Jim Cahill was joined at the Paterson Street site by Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-19th Dist.), Middlesex County Commissioner Director Ronald G. Rios, Commissioners Claribel Azcona-Barber, Charles Kenney, Leslie Tomaro, and union representatives.

Mayor Cahill emphasized that the finished structures often overshadow the physical toll on those who build them.

"Construction sites like this one remind us that every beam raised, every foundation poured, every wire run, and every brick set is the result of skilled hands, trained minds, and the determination of working men and women who take pride in doing hard jobs the right way," Mayor Cahill said. "Too often, people admire the finished product and forget the people who made it possible."

The Mayor described New Brunswick as a "union town" built on the principles of organized labor, sustained by working families, and strengthened by the belief that every worker deserves dignity, fair wages, and safe conditions.

Workers' Memorial Day is observed annually across the country on April 28, the date the Occupational Safety and Health Act took effect in 1971.