New York, NY —

The mournful sounds of bagpipes preceded a memorial Mass for the thirteen construction workers who have died on the job so far this year. The pipers were joined by hundreds of construction workers, many of them wearing hard hats and carrying their union flags. Electrician Ron Pitkin says he is currently working at a 52 story high rise in midtown Manhattan. While he feels safe at his job, he says others don't:

PITKIN: “Yeah it's been very tough jobs and guys are getting hurt because certain safety precautions aren't getting met so we have to bring attention to it and get safety back in the city.”

HOST: So far this year thirteen construction workers have died on the job. Six of them lost their lives when a crane collapsed on Manhattan's east side last month.

Department of Buildings Acting Commissioner, Rober Li Mandri attended the event, he said the rate of deaths is unacceptable.