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Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao
Boilermakers
Convention
July 24, 2001
Thank you for that warm welcome. And thanks so much for having me here
today. It's a pleasure to speak with you, and I appreciate that kind
introduction from President Jones.
I also want to thank all the International Vice Presidents JW Moore,
Rick Albright, Othal Smith, Newton Jones, Don Lacefield, Larry McManamus, Mike
Murphy, George Rodgers, Sandy MacDonald, and Jim Hickenbotham for welcoming me
today.
I am also pleased to be escorted on-stage by a fellow Kentuckian, Roger
Dortch from Local 374 in Indiana.
I also want to express my appreciation to Jerry Willburn and Andy Abbott
for all that they do for the union, and for their help in coordinating my visit
here today.
Since my confirmation as Secretary of Labor, I've been meeting with
union leaders at the national and local levels, to find areas of common
interest where we can work together on issues that matter to working families.
I made it a priority to join you here not just because of your President
Charles Jones, but also because I wanted to meet the rank and file members of
the Boilermakers.
Besides, who can turn down a chance for a trip to Las Vegas?
But seriously, it's important for you to hear from me directly, because
a lot of people get their information from a quick glance at the front page of
the newspapers, or the nightly news. And that can give a misleading
impression.
The problem is, the media loves controversy, so they like to focus on
issues that divide us.
And there's a similar dynamic within politics as well. Some Republicans
say that we just can't work with unions, and some Democrats and union leaders
say they can't work with Republicans.
Well, I think they're both wrong. And we've proven them wrong.
The issues facing working families are too important to take a back seat
to finger pointing and partisan politics. We need to stand up to the extremists
on both sides, and keep our focus where it should be - on how to get things
done for ordinary, working Americans.
The issues confronting this country don't boil down to Republicans
versus Democrats or Labor versus Management - the question is simply what is
right for America. We want better jobs, safer workplaces, better health care,
and secure retirements.
Sometimes we will disagree. But as our President says, we ought to be
able to disagree without being disagreeable. And if we can do that, we will
find the common ground to get things done for working families.
In the few short months that I have been Secretary of Labor, that
approach has already produced real results.
For instance, the pensions of working men and women are more generous
and secure today because President Bush signed into law the Portman-Cardin
bill, as part of the Administration's tax plan.
This requires a worker's pension to be calculated on the basis of his or
her best three years of earnings, as opposed to the last three years, when a
lot of people work fewer hours as they head towards retirement.
Politicians have been debating this issue for years. The last
Administration vetoed it. Even this time around, at the eleventh hour, some
people wanted to remove these provisions from the final package.
But the President, the Boilermakers, the Teamsters and the Carpenters
all stood firm. The provisions stayed in, and together we made them the law of
the land!
This Administration has also made significant progress in worker safety.
Despite strong industry opposition, we are defending a new rule to help coal
miners suffering from black lung disease get the benefits they deserve.
We also put into effect new regulations to protect miners from exposure
to diesel fumes that can build up to harmful levels in confined spaces.
For the men and women who helped develop our nation's nuclear weapons
program, my Department is working aggressively to get a new program ready to
compensate them for the damage done to their health as a result.
We're going to keep working on issues that matter to working families.
Foremost among them is the nation's energy crisis - and along with that issue,
the most important issue of all: jobs.
I particularly want to commend President Jones and the Boilermakers for
their leadership in helping this Administration craft a common-sense,
comprehensive, environmentally responsible energy strategy.
This plan is realistic and responsible. It focuses on conservation, but
it also reflects the reality that we can't meet our energy needs through
conservation alone.
We need new power plants, built with the latest technologies, that will
not only provide the energy to fuel our 21st century economy, but will also
reduce long-term pollution.
The President's plan calls for 1,500 new power plants and 38,000 miles
of new natural gas pipelines - to dramatically cut energy costs for working
families and businesses.
We need the President's energy plan so we can create more jobs -
thousands of high-paying, high-skilled jobs for American workers.
And we need you - the people in this room - to roll up your sleeves and
build America's next generation energy infrastructure.
President Jones, I think the Boilermakers are up to the challenge, don't
you?
Another critical issue that requires us to search for common ground is
our nation's health care system. The Patient's Bill of Rights is currently
before Congress. We all know that America has the best health care system in
the world - but we also know it can be improved.
We all want to give more power to patients and their doctors. The trick
is how to take the power from HMO bureaucrats without giving it to the lawyers
instead. I've been working on this issue because I've heard from the managers
of union multi-employer health and pension funds who are deeply concerned about
turning our health care system over to the lawyers.
We cannot pass a Patient's Bill of Rights with liability provisions that
threaten to bankrupt the multi-employer plans that protect countless working
families. President Bush is committed to signing a Patient's Bill of Rights,
but he won't sign one that leaves multi-employer health insurance plans in
critical condition.
The first rule of medicine is "do no harm." That should be the first
rule of a Patient's Bill of Rights as well.
I've talked a lot today about finding common ground. Let me give you
just one final example of what I mean by that - perhaps the most important
example, for it speaks to the future of the entire American workforce, and how
we need to work together to meet the economic challenges of this new century.
About a month ago, I convened a Summit on the 21st Century Workforce in
Washington. I did so because I believed that America needed a wake up call
about its workforce - about the structural challenges that American workers
face, and the things we need to do today to meet the challenges of
tomorrow.
People from all walks of life joined in. A number of leaders John
Wilhelm of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union, Doug McCarron of
the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, Cecil Roberts of United Mine Workers and
John Sweeney of AFL-CIO were there. Business leaders from manufacturing firms
like Harley-Davidson and high tech companies like Monster.com. Educators,
advocates, and academics participated. And so did President Bush and Chairman
of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan.
Although many viewpoints were represented, there was common ground on
some key issues. And none more important than the need to address the skills
gap in our workforce.
This is the irony of the New Economy: It's creating millions of new jobs
for skilled workers - but many of the people who most need these jobs are least
prepared to fill them.
In some cases, our schools have not provided them with the education
they deserve. Others worked long and hard for companies that became casualties
of economic change. Whatever the reason, we must work together to give them a
second chance at the American Dream - another road into the workforce.
The first crucial step has already happened. In just five months,
President Bush has done the impossible: He passed landmark reform of our
nation's public schools. There is no way to overstate the significance of
education reform for our country's future.
But for those of you who are already in the workforce, we also need to
offer new opportunities: better training and workforce development. I want to
work with everyone who cares about this issue - unions, businesses, educational
institutions, and faith-based organizations - to create better workforce
training programs.
America needs skilled workers - skilled boilermakers, and skilled
craftsmen and women of every kind - so that when we need a tough job done right
- a job like building modern warships like the U.S.S. Cole, or repairing them
after they've been attacked by terrorists - we can call upon the best workforce
in the world to do the job.
I know that President Jones and the Boilermakers are deeply committed to
workforce development, and I applaud you for that. A skilled workforce is a
strong workforce - and that's what America needs.
We at the Department look forward to working with you to find ways to
help America's 21st century workforce remain the most productive and skilled
workforce in the world.
Thank you.
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