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Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao
Laborers
International Union of North America
September 18, 2001
Good afternoon. Thank you, Terry. Congratulations to you and the board
on your re-election to lead the Laborers International Union of North
America.
I had hoped to share with you today the way this Administration is
improving the lives of working Americans. I had wanted to talk about our common
goals: more jobs, safer workplaces, better health care and more secure
retirements.
But today, I have a different message.
September 11, 2001 will be a day seared into our collective memories.
Terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. They showed us
depths of evil we have not seen for decades.
On that awful day, thousands of union members were going about their
everyday lives. They were construction workers, laborers, maintenance workers,
window washers, restaurant workers and health care workers to name a few. Many
never came home.
I am told that your union had more than 50 workers at the World Trade
Center when it was attacked. Most were construction workers and laborers
working in and around the World Trade Center.
We are all grateful so many of them got out safely. They are with their
families or even at your convention today. But at least three of them-- Mason
Tenders, Kevin Gordon and Frank Mancini-have not yet been found. They are three
of 100 building tradesmen still missing.
On behalf of President George W. Bush and all of us at the Department of
Labor, I want to extend our deepest sympathies to the families of those still
missing.
We grieve with you. We pray for those who lost their lives and for those
who lost loved ones. We cherish the memories of the lost loved ones as we
salute the heroes who have made us so proud.
Heroes like Joseph Livero, a member of LIUNA local 365 and a volunteer
firefighter in his spare time. His family has a long and distinguished
tradition as fire fighters. Even though he hailed from New Jersey, he rushed to
the World Trade Center as soon as he heard what happened. As of today, he is
still missing.
We honor these brave men along with the countless policemen,
firefighters, emergency medical workers and other volunteers who lost their
lives in rescue and recovery efforts.
We remember the pilots, flight crew and passengers of the four downed
aircraft. Their stories of personal bravery are just beginning to be known.
We are uplifted and consoled as a nation by these acts of heroism.
The terrorists tried to demoralize Americans with their attack, but they
failed. Instead, of bringing out the worst in America, they brought out the
best. Instead of dividing us, they have united us. As the President said in his
remarks earlier today, the world has seen a great country rise up to help.
Compassionate and generous citizens have led the first phase of the war on
terrorism, which is to sustain and strengthen the home front.
As you know, we are just starting to see the economic devastation of
Tuesday's attacks. Many working families have been hit twice. People not only
lost their lives and loved ones in the attacks, but survivors lost their jobs
and sources of income. At the Department of Labor, we are moving immediately to
help working families devastated by this tragedy.
We are of course providing unemployment insurance for dislocated
workers. But I want you to know we have special disaster assistance for workers
not eligible for regular unemployment benefits. This special assistance is a
broad- based benefit that includes all ineligible workers suffering job or
income loss as a result of the attacks. Our programs will place these workers
in temporary jobs, help them find permanent new jobs or provide them with an
interim benefit while they get on their feet.
We expect to announce several other significant initiatives by the end
of this week. These are a direct result of the historic $40 billion emergency
appropriations bill agreed to by the President and the Congress. Our mission is
to help all workers recover economically as soon as possible. On the safety
front, we are literally standing side by side with you. The Occupational Safety
and Health Administration is already on the scene in New York. It is testing
and re-testing to make sure that rescue workers are protected from potentially
hazardous substances and provided with all of the safety information and
equipment possible.
I know this is particularly important to you. As rescue efforts
accelerate, your union is standing by with seasoned, experienced workers to
replace volunteers. Soon, you will be on the front lines of the recovery
efforts. OSHA is already working with contractors in New York to set up safety
protocols. I want you to know that your safety is one of our highest
priorities.
As we move ahead with rescue and recovery efforts, this Administration
will be putting more safety net programs into action. I look forward to meeting
with your leadership to hear a progress report on your union's participation in
the New York recovery efforts.
The Laborers International Union of North America has a long history of
standing strong in times of crisis and tragedy. I know our country can count on
you to stand strong with the President to defeat the evil that attacked us last
week.
We are united with you to do what it takes to bring these terrorists to
justice and to defend freedom and democracy.
You can be assured that no effort will be spared by the Department of
Labor to help dislocated workers to receive the transitional assistance they
need to resume their lives.
Thank you for your support and solidarity and may God bless America
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