COEUR d’ALENE — These were not the names of famous people. Or wealthy. Or powerful. Perhaps few have heard of them.

These were the names of blue-collar workers — people who lost their lives on the job in Idaho over the past two years.

David Kearns read those 29 names and described how each died Wednesday evening, Workers' Memorial Day. As he did, some of the 75 people gathered at the North Idaho Worker’s Memorial at City Park bowed their heads. Others held hands. One placed an arm around the shoulder of the person next to her. One woman cried.

“My heart is heavy for these losses and for the survivors left to pick up the pieces after their loved one paid the ultimate price to earn a paycheck,” said Kearns, Boise area director of the U.S. Department of Labor.

The list included:

• Jeremy Eggers. The 42-year-old drowned May 17, 2019 when operating a skid steer near Fruitland;
• Ray Dodson. The 62-year-old was backed over by a dump truck on March 24, 2020 while servicing it at a construction site in New Plymouth.
• Garrison Merrell. The 24-year-old was crushed by the machinery of a rotating milking parlor during maintenance work at a dairy near Declo on Sept. 10, 2020.

• Edwin "Patrick" Mason. The 52-yer-old was struck by a log at a logging site near Blanchard on Nov. 5, 2020.

• Mario Vasquez Vergara. The 35-year-old was caught in the conveyor of a potato truck while trying to replace the belt at a farm maintenance shop in Aberdeen on Jan. 27, 2021.
• William Murphy. The 61-year-old fell from a ladder while preparing to paint at a construction job in Meridian on Feb. 16, 2021.

As Kearns read, people were silent and the sun set.

Kearns said it's important to remember those tragedies don’t remain limited to the work place.

“They affect all of us,” he said. “Our families and our communities suffer serious harm. So I’m thankful for your support here today.”

It was Dec. 29, 1970 when the Occupational Safety and Health Act was signed by then President Richard Nixon. The act went into effect on April 28, 1971. — 50 years ago to the date of Wednesday ceremony.

“Unions have fought hard to make that promise a reality — winning protections that have made jobs safer and saved lives,” according to a press release. “But our work is not done. Each year, thousands of workers are killed and millions suffer injury or illness because of dangerous working conditions. The COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted the inextricable link between workplace safety and health and our communities.”

Kyle Beierle of the North Idaho Central Labor Council said he knew four of the 45 people whose names are on the wall at the memorial in the northwest corner of the park.

“All they were trying to do was work hard and make a living. They lost out,” he said.

He was pleased by the turnout for the 30-minute ceremony.

“This is just a way to show them some respect," he said.

Beierle spoke of Jon Ellis Snider, 59, Post Falls, who died in the Jan 13, 2021 windstorm when he was driving northbound near Beauty Bay on State Highway 97 and a tree fell and struck his pickup. He was killed.

“That man, a fine individual, just a hard-working fella,” Beierle said. “Who’d of ever guessed.”

Kearns called on employers to create “the right culture at the workplace.”

“They are responsible. They have the power and they must take meaningful steps to ensure a safe and healthy workplace.”

He told the crowd to “Never accept the outdated ideas that it’s too hard or too expensive to provide safe and healthy workplaces.

“Gambling with the life of a worker, or another, is just unacceptable.”

Kearns said no one should be treated as a disposable resource.

“This is 2021, people. In the most advanced, powerful democracy of the world, worker safety must be a human right for all," he said. "Our nation’s workers are our most valuable resource but most importantly, they are our family, our friends and our neighbors.”