🎉 Happy Labor Day!

On Labor Day, people across the country take an extra day to celebrate the contributions of America’s workers. This country simply would not be what it is, and this holiday wouldn’t exist, without the gains made by working people. At the Department of Labor, every day we fight for workers with the same passion and commitment that they themselves bring to driving innovation and sustaining the communities they call home.Â

By expanding overtime protections, protecting retirement savings, conducting safety inspections, securing back wages, or conducting any of the many tasks our department is entrusted to carry out, our work betters the lives of America’s workers, families and communities. Whatever your relationship is to work in America, I hope you can take a moment this weekend to look back over the past year and feel proud of our collective achievements. Wishing you a joyful Labor Day from all of us here at the Department of Labor!

–Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su

In honor of Labor Day, we celebrate workers and pathways to good jobs

This Labor Day, we're recognizing efforts to build an equitable and empowered workforce. Explore the history of Labor Day and learn some of the ways we’re supporting and expanding good job opportunities around the country.

A special Labor Day greeting from our leaders

On Labor Day, we celebrate America’s workers and labor advocates, including the millions who have fought for better pay, better working conditions, dignity and respect. Watch a message from some of our leaders.

Union gains in 2024

Labor unions made the headlines this year more than once, but those headlines hardly begin to tell the story of all the advances unions brought to workers in 2024. Across the country, in workplaces large and small, workers moved the economic needle through their collective voices and by the unions they chose to represent them. We’re highlighting a few of the many gains that you should know about this Labor Day.

Celebrating Labor Rights Week

We kicked off Labor Rights Week 2024 with an event celebrating our 20-year partnership with the Embassy of Mexico to protect and promote workers’ rights through the Consular Partnership Program. The program now includes agreements with more countries throughout Latin America, including a new agreement with Columbia announced this week. We joined those countries at dozens of other events across the nation to spread the word that all workers in the U.S. have rights on the job.

WORKING FOR WORKERS

In Chicago, Su highlights policies and products to support care workers

In Chicago this week, Acting Secretary Su met with workers and advocates at the Care Can’t Wait Conference to highlight ways the Biden-Harris administration is supporting care workers, including our publication of domestic worker sample agreements earlier this year. She also laid out the administration’s vision for paid leave and care and provided keynote remarks at the United Autoworkers’ Women’s Conference on our efforts to increase the retention of women in the workplace.

Investing in America means good jobs and apprenticeship opportunities

In Virginia this week, Acting Secretary Su joined Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, Rep. Bobby Scott and others to discuss how we’re expanding pathways to good jobs through apprenticeship. We also presented $6 million in Apprenticeship Building American grants to the Hampton Roads Workforce Council to help expand Registered Apprenticeship programming and boost public-private partnerships.

Creating good union jobs in Florida and across the country

While in Orlando, Acting Secretary Su spoke at the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades to discuss how the Department of Labor is working to create good union jobs for workers across the country.

Storm displacement funding

We made more than $4 million in funding available to support storm recovery work this week, including:

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Countertop maker cited

A Chicago countertop manufacturer faces more than $1 million in proposed penalties for not protecting workers from silica dust, including two with incurable lung disease.

🌮 $1.3M for restaurant workers

La Tolteca Authentic Mexican Restaurant in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, unlawfully withheld workers' tips and failed to pay overtime, leading to a $1.3 million judgment for 51 workers.

Postpartum mental health leave

Postpartum mental health conditions affect many new mothers, and the Family and Medical Leave Act helps protect them.

Equality for women

On Women’s Equality Day, Women’s Director Wendy Chun-Hoon reflected on the department’s efforts to ensure equity in all fields.

Back wages for NY workers

Fifteen New York gas stations must pay over $1 million in back wages and damages to more than 100 workers after our Wage and Hour Division found wage violations.

DATA SPOTLIGHT

Labor victories by the numbers

Good jobs are changing lives. Here are a few ways we're working to make sure there are more good jobs for more people all around the country.

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POST OF THE WEEK

How to have a great Labor Day, from @USDOL ⬆️
-@ActSecJulieSu

IN THE NEWS