The director of Maine’s Bureau of Labor Education, Murphy takes the matter of worker safety very seriously. And in a year when 30 Maine workers died on the job, Murphy has plenty to say about the matter.

“The carnage and the suffering for all those workers continues in this country,” Murphy said at the end of a grim ceremony, during which the names of the dead were read aloud. “None of this needs to occur. We have the science, the technology and a law to prevent it.”

Murphy is red in the face as he delivers his thoughts. His passion for his work is never in question.

“I’m sorry,” he said when he was done. “Your question hit a nerve.”

The question: Is it discouraging that so many Maine workers died on the job even after so many laws have been passed and so many protections have been put in place.

If you asked the people of the Western Maine Labor Council and those who support them, a single on-the-job death is one too many.

“A lot of people are still dying through no fault of their own,” said Joe Mailey, vice president of the council and organizer of the Memorial Day event. “Their only crime was getting up and going to work that day.”

The event Friday night was presented by the council and Museum L-A. The connection is not obvious but it is logical. While one group exists to fight for the protections of Maine workers, the other strives to keep the history of those workers alive.

Rachel Desgrosseilliers, executive director of Museum L-A, was among the featured speakers Friday night. She said the museum has become more lively than ever, in large part because of great interest in the history of the community and the workforce that built the Twin Cities.

“We really try to pull out the spirit of who these people were,” Desgrosseilliers said.

The room at the Franco-American Heritage Center was filled with men and women who are considered labor leaders and the best protection the Maine worker has against abuses. The night was a delicate balance, to memorialize fallen workers while continuing the battle over labor issues.

“We gather to remember the hardworking men and women who lost their lives on the job,” Maine Congressman Michael Michaud said. “May God bless them and may God bless their families.”

Before the efforts of labor groups brought about changes to national laws, the number of deaths was much higher, the night’s speakers stressed. Things started to change in the early 1970s when legislation was passed. Workplace conditions improved. But it was far from a perfect system and it’s far from perfect now.

“The interest of business and profits always took priority over worker health and safety,” Murphy said. “There have been advances and setbacks. Maine can take a lot of pride because we have been a leader… We all know that labor – and in particular Maine labor – will never give up the fight.”

Murphy was the recipient of the Frances Perkins Award. Also awarded were Auburn city workers as a group and lifelong activist Paul Gilbert, who received the Bruce D. Roy Solidarity Award.

The awards represented the joyous part of the night. The sadness followed soon after as the names of the dead Maine workers were read one-by-one.

“They are heroes,” Sen. John Patrick said. “They are heroes to their families and they should have the same respect as those who died in service to their country.”

The trick to the event, organizers said, was to not let the gloom of those 30 names outweigh everything else. The fight must go on, they said, even as they mourned.

“We must remember that this is also a celebratory event,” council President Don Bilodeau wrote in his introductory notes. “This evening, we pause along with th rest of the world to commemorate May Day, a holiday that celebrates the working class.

“We know that there is pride and dignity to be found in doing an honest day’s work,” Bilodeau wrote, “no matter what that work may be. All workers have earned our respect and we salute them all.”