Secretary of Labor Tom Perez: Let’s Hear Your Voice

September 9, 2015 JanF Featured Posts, From the White House 1

Secretary Perez sent the following message to the White House email list on Labor Day.

Labor Day is about more than barbecues and a three-day weekend.

It is a day owned by every one of us, to honor our contributions to America’s strength and prosperity. Today, we’re looking at more than 13 million private-sector jobs created since 2010, and 66 consecutive months of private-sector job growth. That is prosperity that we created together. And it deserves to be recognized.

The problem is that far too many Americans still aren’t sharing in that prosperity.

As we continue to emerge from the depths of the great recession, the challenge before us is to make sure more Americans get a slice of the pie that they helped bake. America, after all, is stronger when more people have more.

(There’s something every one of us can do to create change in our workplaces, and it always starts with a conversation — with colleagues or with decision makers. Make a commitment to start that conversation today at whitehouse.gov/worker-voice)

Last month, I hit the road to meet hardworking Americans standing together to raise their voices. Whether it’s making sure an honest day’s work earns a fair day’s pay, or insisting that no one should have to choose between the job they need and the family they love, Americans across this country are showing that small conversations at the lunch table can lead to big changes at the boardroom table.

It starts with a conversation. And you can commit to start one today right here.

You can tell us about how you or someone you know stepped up in your workplace to push for a change, whatever your issue may be — from better wages to workplace fairness to greater equality.

And here’s what’s next:

On October 7, we’re hosting a Summit on Worker Voice at the White House. The Summit will rally workers, employers, unions, organizers and others to bring attention to both the new, innovative ways that workers are coming together to have a voice in their workplaces, as well as the proven practices — like collective bargaining — that have sustained the middle class for generations.

As history has shown time and time again, there’s no limit to what we can accomplish when we speak up with one voice. We are, after all, stronger together.

So add your voice: Say you’ll start the conversation.

Happy Labor Day.

Thanks,

Tom

White House Summit on Worker Voice – Celebrate Working Leaders

On October 7, 2015, the White House and the Department of Labor will bring together workers, labor leaders, advocates, forward-leaning employers, Members of Congress, state and local officials and others to highlight the relationship between worker voice and a thriving middle class.

The White House Summit on Worker Voice will provide a historic opportunity to bring together a diverse group of leaders – including workers, employers, unions, organizers and other advocates and experts — to explore ways to ensure that middle class Americans are sharing in the benefits of the broad-based economic growth that they are helping to create. We want both seasoned and emerging leaders from across the country, who are taking action in their communities to lift up workers’ voices — to be active participants in this conversation.

1 Comment

  1. Middle-wage workers in America are being squeezed out:

    Many workers’ prospects have improved as the unemployment rate has slipped down to 5.1 percent. But not all are seeing better days in the economic recovery. Recent studies show most jobs are going to workers either in the top third or the bottom third of income.

    A study by Georgetown University found that middle-wage jobs haven’t fully recovered from the Great Recession. They represent nearly a third of the jobs gained in the recovery but are still 900,000 jobs short of pre-recession levels, the study said.

    Those in between the top and bottom thirds are getting squeezed out — especially men. Economists call them middle-skilled workers. They have good jobs that don’t necessarily require specialized training or a college education.

Comments are closed.