It was a somber night in Jersey City as people gathered to remember a construction worker who fell four stories to his death last week.
As friends and loved ones mourn the loss of 40-year-old Juan Jose Coc, they are also calling on elected officials for better protection for workers.
“No worker should leave their house in the morning and not make it home at the end of the day,” says Mike Hellstrom, vice president of Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA).
Coc fell from the construction site on Communipaw Avenue in Jersey City on Feb. 2.
“It’s sad. I just pray for his family,” says Carlos Rosario, of Cliffside Park.
Coc’s wife and child stood in solidarity with other laborers to make sure more workers weren’t killed in job site incidents.
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“At the rate of speed that Jersey City is building, it really needs to take a hard look – not just at the building code from the state of New Jersey – but the authority of the municipality to change the building code in the state of New Jersey to give the city greater authority to create a safer work environment for workers here in Jersey City,” says Hellstrom.