June 1 marks the 38th annual Injured Workers Day rally for Windsor-Essex — but due to the pandemic, it'll held virtually.
It's being organized by the Windsor and District Labour Council and committee chair Mike Jee says, while they can't gather in person, the event carries just as much meaning as it always has.
He says the COVID-19 pandemic has made work even more unsafe for many employees.
"I can tell you that there was over 20,000 approved claims for COVID exposure at work, which is scary. I think, from a safety standpoint, there's a lot of work that needs to be done. Claims are still being pushed through and processed at a consistent rate."
Jee says doing the event online may actually be a good thing.
"Us being able to do it online is going to give more people an opportunity to sort of understand what is going on. I think every year a lot of people drive by and they can read the banners as they're going by and they'll honk, but it isn't something we really talk about. What we're trying to do it pull together a little more in depth information this year."
He says migrant workers will be spotlighted this year.
"We're including some information about migrant workers and the struggles that they're going through and we'll be comparing a lot of that to what's going on within our general population and also look at the history so we can understand what some of these problems are. It'll be a good opportunity for everybody to understand the issues."
The virtual Injured Workers Day rally will be available on the Windsor and District Labour Council Facebook page.
— with files from AM800's Patty Handysides