|
 Printer-Friendly Version
Remarks Delivered by
U.S. Secretary of Labor
Elaine L. Chao
DOL Honor Awards
U.S. Department of Labor
Wednesday,
April 19, 2006
Thank you, Steven [Law].
Thank you, Kathleen [Hunter, ESA/Wage & Hour], for that
lovely rendition of the national anthem.
Let me also recognize the Joint Armed Forces Honor Guard from the
Military District of D.C. We always appreciate their service.
Welcome, everyone, to the 93rd Annual Honor Awards. I look forward to
this event every year. It is a delight to honor the dedication and hard work of
our DOL family.
I want to thank Assistant Secretary Pat Pizzella for, once again,
chairing the Honor Awards committee. You do a terrific job each year. Let me
also thank the Honor Awards Committee for reviewing the many nominations and
selecting today's fine group of honorees.
Department-wide we have 260 honorees! They have been selected for their
outstanding contributions to the Department and for their service to America's
workforce. We are especially pleased to have three Presidential Rank Award
recipients.
This year, 235 employees throughout the Department will be recognized
with Length of Service Awards for 35, 40, 45 and 50 years of federal service!
That's real dedication! In fact, Joyce Fox, who works in ILAB, is celebrating
50 years of service. She began at BLS and moved to ILAB in 1962.
Today's awards pay special tribute to individuals who have gone above
and beyond the call of duty to make a difference in the lives of workers
nationwide.
And I want to especially thank the more than 100 DOL employees who
served in the Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort. They went to evacuee centers to
help workers file unemployment claims and look for new jobs. Their work brought
hope and comfort to so many people. This is a photo of some of those who went
to the affected areas.
Last week, I was in New Orleans with First Lady Laura Bush. We were
there to announce a grant to the National Urban League to help at-risk young
people in the Gulf region get job training and find jobs. While I was there, I
also visited with the DOL employees in the area. And I was so impressed by what
I saw — they are doing a great job in some very challenging circumstances.
I was especially moved by the fact that many of them are DOL employees from
other parts of the country who have volunteered for assignments in the
Hurricane impacted areas. They have a real passion about what they are doing. I
am proud of them — and all of you — who made financial contributions
and donated leave to help members of our own DOL family impacted by the
Hurricanes.
Today, we celebrate our award winners. And it also gives us an
opportunity to reflect on the Department's accomplishments — your
accomplishments. Many are listed in today's program, but let me highlight
several milestones.
This past year, the Labor Department became the first federal
Department to earn the all-green status on the five main initiatives of the
President's Management Agenda. As a result, in December, I was pleased to
accept the President's Quality Award for overall management on behalf of the
Labor Department. DOL is the first Department to achieve recognition in this
top award category. I want to thank Steven Law, Pat Pizzella, agency heads and
those working with them for helping the Department achieve this goal. Here's a
photo of some of those team members instrumental in helping the Department
achieve this goal.
Now, please join me in watching the special video that AV has put
together highlighting today's awardees. It's always a fun and creative video
tribute. And I want to thank Stan Hankin and the AV Department for the work
they do every year to produce this film!
| 
