WEIRTON — While concerns of the future continue, members of the Weirton community gathered Thursday morning to remember the past and those who made the ultimate sacrifice while helping to drive the city’s economy.

More than 120 workers have lost their lives in the line of working at the local mill – from Lewis Chaney on April 11, 1919 to Timothy Poch on May 21, 2020 – their names forever inscribed on a memorial at the intersection of County Road and Pennsylvania Avenue. It was at that memorial, where a service was held in observance of Worker Safety Day.

“We gather here this morning to honor and remember the workers who have lost their lives in Weirton,” noted Joshua Virtue, United Steelworkers health and safety coordinator.

Mark Glyptis, president of USW Local 2911, explained, while much of the focus in recent weeks has been on the idling of the Weirton mill, it must be noted the facility is among the best in safety measures of all Cleveland-Cliffs.

“It’s a testimony to those that made it happen,” Glyptis said, noting there is a team of union and management representatives working tirelessly to ensure the safety of everyone at the Weirton mill. “We don’t look at it as a union issue or a management issue. It’s a safety issue.”

Those safety efforts and the work ethic of those in Weirton have built a reputation across the country, Glyptis said, as they strive for a “Journey to Zero,” with no injuries.

“We do not put profits ahead of safety,” he said. “Safety comes first.”

John Saunders, USW Region 1 staff representative, encouraged those gathered to never forget those who have been lost, and to continue working together to prevent future deaths.

“There are no ‘I’s’ in safety,” Saunders said. “Safety is what we can do for each other.”

Don Westerhoff, corporate safety officer for Cleveland-Cliffs, recalled coming to Weirton in 2005, and first becoming a safety manager in 2008 when he helped to organize the first Worker Safety observance in the community.

He noted the “profound effect,” his time in Weirton has had on his life, saying it has made him a better safety professional.

“Safety is a never-ending mission,” he said.

Ward 6 Councilman Enzo Fracasso, a mill retiree himself, noted the loss of the more than 120 workers has an effect on the entire community, being felt by their coworkers, their families, friends and neighbors.

“Your loss is our loss and your pain is our pain,” Fracasso said.

The service also included a recitation of the names of those lost by the Rev. Robert Macek and the Rev. Kenny Jacobs, with a bell rung by Enid Williams as each name was read, as well as Pastor Gary C. Lilly reading his poem, “Here’s to you, Weirton,” written to honor the community and those who built it.