SAN FRANCISCO – Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su today joined Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai in San Francisco at the launch of the Presidential Memorandum on Advancing Worker Empowerment, Rights, and High Labor Standards Globally. 

Below are Acting Secretary Su’s remarks, as delivered:

“Alright, now I have to do what Kelly said, which is bring it home, right here at home.

“But thank you so much for that, Katherine. I am so grateful for your leadership and your partnership. And under your leadership, the United States is writing a new story about trade and making clear that labor rights are not an obstacle to trade policy; it’s really a cornerstone of it. And there is no one better to lead us and make that real than you. So, thank you very, very much.

“And I also want to, of course, thank Secretary Blinken for what everyone has already said but also for his deep dedication to lifting up workers and workers’ rights and workers’ voices all around the world. 

“And I want to recognize our Speaker Emerita – our Speaker – Nancy Pelosi who…

[Applause]

“I know, you can’t say her name without getting that kind of reaction.

“But I also want to say, as a woman leader, as a fierce defender of workers’ rights, as somebody who – you know, it’s about knowing your power, but also about unleashing your power. And I ask at the Department of Labor every day, ‘What are we doing to unleash the full power of the Department for the good of working people?’ You embody what it means to unleash power whenever you have it. And so, thank you so much for that.

“And I want to thank brother Rudy Gonzalez, for being such a phenomenal leader. We were just together here in San Francisco recently. And it’s so amazing to be here with you again and to be with everybody in this room. You all are why we are gathered here in San Francisco. It’s about all the other things, but it’s also about the incredible labor movement that is built and nurtured right here in San Francisco. And it’s about the worker leaders in this room and around the world who are really demonstrating what is possible when workers have real power. 

“So, as you all know, every worker deserves a just day’s pay for a hard day’s work. 

“Every worker should come home healthy and safe at the end of the day. 

“And every worker should have a right to join a union. 

“And these are not just American values. They apply to workers around the world. 

“And in President Biden’s America, we want to lead by example. So, we are supporting workers across our country – from health care to hospitality to Hollywood, from teachers to flight attendants, from delivery drivers to longshoremen – who are demanding their fair share and who are saying that we deserve to be valued. 

“So, let’s look at the auto industry. We’ve already talked about that some. But last week, I was with President Biden in Belvidere, Illinois, where a factory that had been closed is now going to reopen. And it’s not just going to bring back jobs; it’s going to grow new jobs. For the future of an industry that’s in transition, it’s going to be built by union workers. And that only happened because unions had a seat at the bargaining table and were able to demand that kind of outcome. 

“That’s in addition to the historic wage increases, and the benefits, and the retirement, and having a say in the future of the industry that was demonstrated by that particular negotiation. 

“And as so many of you in this room know, as [ILWU International] President Adams knows well, and gave me the great privilege of seeing up close in his negotiation: collective bargaining works. 

“And wins for unions are not just wins for union members. They’re also wins for non-union workers. We’re seeing that again in the auto industry with the wage increases that have already been made by non-union companies. [UAW] President Shawn Fain calls is the ‘UAW bump.’ And he is right about that. And we see that in all kinds of industries today. 

“And you all know that leadership matters, and we’ve seen positive trends for workers’ rights and increased power for unions and for collective bargaining, because we have a President who supports workers using their voice. 

“It’s different when I walk into the room and can say that this President believes that the only people who can decide whether a contract is fair are the members themselves. 

“And that matters. And that’s what ‘Union Joe’ is making a difference. And that’s why having the most pro-union, pro-worker President in history is making a difference. And that’s what we celebrate today with this Presidential Memorandum.

“Now at the same time, we all know that there’s a lot more work that we have to do. 

“And corporations are global. So, workers, and worker power, and the way we think about workers have to be global, as well. 

“So, when some corporations cut corners and contract out work to low-road businesses that exploit workers around the world, it creates an unfair playing field for every responsible business that does right by its workers. 

“When global actors are allowed to evade labor laws in one country by exploiting workers in another part of the world, this undermines workers’ rights everywhere.

“And when workers are harassed, discriminated against, and attacked as they produce things that are sold all around the world, we cannot simply look away and ignore the ways that our global economy brings with it global responsibility. 

“In other words, what happens in Bangladesh also affects working families across the United States, from Birmingham to Boston to Bellingham. 

“And in recent weeks, in Bangladesh, garment workers have been risking their lives and, in some cases, have even been killed protesting for a fair minimum wage. This is unacceptable. 

“And that’s why today’s announcement is so historic. 

“Now, for the first time, the United States will use a whole-of-government approach to elevate labor rights around the world. 

“At the U.S. Department of Labor, this is core to what we do. 

“So, when my team meets with leaders at ministries of labor around the world, we advocate for workers’ rights to organize and collectively bargain. 

“To further this work, we’ve expanded our network of labor attachés around the world from one to 10. And they work closely with their State Department counterparts to embed labor rights in our foreign policy.   

“You already heard both Rudy and Ambassador Tai talk about our work in Mexico. And we are grateful to work under the great leadership of Ambassador Tai and her team, as well as the Mexican labor ministry on making sure the provisions of the USMCA are meaningful and real and to build the infrastructure so that Mexican workers can truly have a union of their choice.

“And we’ve also launched the Multilateral Partnership for Organizing, Worker Empowerment, and Rights – or M-POWER. And with M-POWER, we’re elevating the role of freedom of association and independent unions. Because, as has already been said, strong labor organizations aren’t just foundational for workers’ rights; they are foundational for healthy, inclusive democracies. 

“The Department of Labor is also expanding its work to combat forced labor and to improve transparency and accountability from the bottom to the top of global supply chains. 

“I know how important this is because I have seen it up close. And you all will remember this story from California, when 72 garment workers who had been trafficked to the United States from Thailand and were forced to work behind barbed wire and under armed guard, sewing garments for 18 hours a day. 

“This happened, in part, because these workers, who were overwhelming women, faced poverty wages or lack of opportunity at home, which made them vulnerable to traffickers who promised them a good job in the United States. And that promise turned out to be a lie. 

“They sewed garments, right here in California, until their fingers were raw and their vision blurred.

“And once these workers were discovered, they did the unimaginable—they fought back. And I was privileged to be their attorney at that time, and we brought a challenge against the multi-billion-dollar industry in which they were working. 

“Because human trafficking is just one of the many examples of how labor abuse and lack of rights for workers in one part of the world makes them more vulnerable to abuse elsewhere – and how the global demand for cheap labor also makes workers vulnerable in every part of our globe.

“And in the Biden-Harris administration, we are using every tool we have to stop this.   

“So now, with the Presidential Memorandum, every federal agency is committed to use all the tools at their disposal to empower workers around the world and to lift up workers’ rights to organize. 

“The real measure of our progress is not going to be in policy pronouncements. It’s not going to be dollars of investments. It’s not going to be in numbers, as the Ambassador already said. It’s going to be in seeing workers using their voices to stand up and fight for their basic needs.

“It’s going to be in more workers joining together and exercising their fundamental rights to organize.

“More workers rejecting the message that they’ve been told their whole lives, that they should just keep their heads down and know their place. 

“Because we in this room know that workers’ place is at the table. It’s on the picket line. It’s in the headquarters where decisions are being made. 

“And that’s what it means to have a pro-worker, pro-union President, who believes in worker power and workers’ ability to demand more. 

“And this will happen when we see more workers getting their footing in the middle class, not just in this country, but around the world. 

“So, I look forward to continuing to work with all of you here and around the world to make sure that the U.S. government leads by example and that we make real and profound progress together. 

“Thank you all so, so much. And let’s get it done.”

WASHINGTON – At Department of Labor’s headquarters in Washington today, Acting Secretary Julie Su, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Domestic Policy Advisor to the President Neera Tanden, Department of Commerce Senior Counselor Zoe Baird, and other public and private sector leaders gathered to kick off National Apprenticeship Week 2023 with a graduation ceremony for students who recently completed apprenticeship programs. 

Acting Secretary Su and Secretary Cardona congratulated more than 25 recent graduates who received certificates and crossed the stage to applause from their families, apprenticeship program sponsors and employers. The graduates represented apprentices in a cross-section of high-growth industries that included education, construction, IT and cybersecurity, healthcare and advanced manufacturing. Tanden and Baird also offered congratulatory remarks to the graduates. 

“Registered Apprenticeships use proven strategies that help connect young people with good jobs and provide employers with skilled, entry-level employees,” explained Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “The apprenticeship program graduates we honored here today at the Department of Labor remind us how these programs change peoples’ lives, creating a brighter future for them and for our nation.” 

Leading up to today’s kick-off event, President Biden issued a proclamation on National Apprenticeship Week on Nov. 9, 2023. During the ceremony, Acting Secretary Su announced the first cohort of youth Apprentice Trailblazers, part of an initiative launched in August 2023, and revealed the department’s plans for the first National Youth Apprenticeship Week, scheduled from May 5 to 11, 2024. 

“Apprenticeships are opportunity multipliers. Keep learning and pay it forward, using your voice to inspire the next generation,” Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona exclaimed. “By sharing your stories, you can elevate apprenticeships in your community and be a champion for economic opportunity.” 

The event also included a live discussion in which the department’s Senior Advisor for Employment and Training Manny Lamarre talked with a recently graduated apprentice and their parent about their experience.

The event was one of more than 1,300 events and resolutions planned from Nov. 13 to 19 to highlight the value and importance of Registered Apprenticeships. The learn-as-you-earn model provides youth and others with work-based and experiential learning and creates career pathways to good-paying jobs and equips them for career success. Registered Apprenticeships also offer employers with a talent pipeline of entry-level workers to support their workforce development needs and strengthen their communities’ economies.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the start of National Apprenticeship Week, an annual event that includes plans in 2023 for more than 1,300 events and proclamations nationwide, united by the theme, “Registered Apprenticeship: Superhighway to Good Jobs.”

Through Nov. 19, this year’s 9th annual event will bring employers, industry associations, labor organizations, community-based organizations, workforce partners, education providers and government leaders together to showcase the importance of Registered Apprenticeship in improving job quality and expanding U.S. workers’ access to good-paying jobs in many industries. 

“National Apprenticeship Week recognizes the Biden-Harris administration’s historic investments in Registered Apprenticeships and their vital importance to our nation’s workforce infrastructure,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “This week, we commend our partners — in industry associations, labor organizations, education and academia, workforce development, community-based organizations and in federal, state and local governments — for committing to make the long-term investments needed to ensure a pipeline of talent for the good-paying, quality jobs being created across the nation.” 

To highlight the week’s importance, Acting Secretary Su will attend several events, including a National Youth Apprenticeship graduation event today, where Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and White House officials will gather with apprentices, recent graduates and other stakeholders to celebrate. The apprentices and stakeholders represent a wide range of industries central to the nation’s “Investing in America” initiative, such as construction, advanced manufacturing and clean energy, education, cybersecurity and healthcare. 

In its efforts to expand Registered Apprenticeship, the Biden-Harris administration has developed more than 7,100 new programs and welcomed more than 12,000 new employer partners to participating programs. These efforts by the administration have led to the hiring of more than 1.3 million apprentices, which includes more than 350,000 apprentices from ages 16 to 24, about 200,000 Hispanic apprentices, more than 130,000 women and 118,000 Black apprentices. 

Since National Apprenticeship Week began in 2015, more than 800,000 people have participated in more than 6,800 events, and 1,300 proclamations in support of the proven model have been issued.

Learn more about National Apprenticeship Week 2023 and how to participate.

LOS ANGELES – Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su delivered the keynote address at CareFest, a gathering of entertainment, philanthropy and business and government leaders focused on the future of care held Nov. 2, 2023.  

“As we build our nation’s infrastructure, we know that a strong, secure care infrastructure is just as important as America’s roads and bridges,” said Acting Secretary Su in her keynote address. 
 

During her remarks, Su also announced that the U.S. Department of Labor has published sample employment agreements for domestic workers, including house cleaners, home care workers and nannies. These informal and non-binding agreements serve only as tools for employers and domestic workers to begin conversations and create shared understandings of potential terms of employment.

“Today, we take an important step in delivering on the President’s vision,” explained Acting Secretary Su. “In the past, too many care workers haven’t had an agreement as they started their job to set their responsibilities or their rate-of-pay or the quality of their working conditions. Today, the Department of Labor is releasing sample employment agreements for cleaners, home care workers and nannies who are employed by private households.”  

These sample agreements coincide with President Biden’s Executive Order on Increasing Access to High-Quality Care and Supporting Caregivers, which directed federal agencies to “make all efforts to improve jobs and support for caregivers, increase access to affordable care for families and provide more care options for families.” Specifically, the order called on the Secretary of Labor to develop compliance assistance and best practices for domestic care workers and their employers to promote fair workplaces and ensure the parties know their rights and responsibilities.

Provisions in the sample agreements announced today provide examples of the types of terms and conditions of employment that employers and employees may choose to consider for use by both parties in private contracts. 

Sample contract agreements can be downloaded from the department’s Women’s Bureau website. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su issued the following statement on the October 2023 Employment Situation report. 

“Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the American economy added 150,000 jobs in October, and the unemployment rate was 3.9 percent, marking 21 straight months of a jobless rate below 4 percent. These numbers reflect an economy that is growing at a healthy and sustainable pace, with an average monthly gain of 204,000 jobs over the past three months.  

“This jobs report is the latest evidence that President Biden’s economic plan is working. A year ago, many thought it would be impossible to maintain historically low levels of unemployment while also bringing inflation down. Defying expectations, the current data show a steady rate of inflation below 4 percent, and the jobless rate has remained below 4 percent for the longest stretch of time in 50 years. In May of 2022, President Biden predicted monthly job creation of 150,000 would be ‘consistent with a low unemployment rate and a healthy economy.’ And that is precisely what this jobs report shows, another sign that we are moving into the next phase of our economic recovery.   

“President Biden is growing the economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down, and leaves no one behind. Since President Biden took office, 14 million jobs have been added – expanding opportunity for working families – and wages have grown 4.1 percent over the year. This is also the seventh month in a row with a record-high employment rate for prime-age women.  

“This report shows strong job gains in the health care and social assistance sectors, and President Biden has made improving job quality for care workers a priority. In April 2023, President Biden issued an Executive Order on Increasing Access to High-Quality Care and Supporting Caregivers, which directed federal agencies to undertake the most comprehensive set of executive actions ever issued to improve care for families while supporting care workers and family caregivers. Just yesterday, the Department of Labor unveiled sample employment agreements, which will put more power in care workers’ hands on their rate of pay and working conditions.  

“Good jobs can change lives, and the Biden-Harris administration’s focus on improving job quality for all workers continues to fuel our economy’s healthy and stable growth.” 

WASHINGTON – Acting Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su released the following statement today after a tentative labor agreement was reached between the United Auto Workers and General Motors:  

“I applaud the United Auto Workers and General Motors on reaching a tentative agreement this morning. This agreement was the product of intense and challenging negotiations, and I want to thank the parties for staying at the table. The parties have reached an agreement that is truly historic not only terms of direct wage increases but the wage fairness it aims to address as well. This is also an agreement that will protect good union jobs, now and in the future. 

“The Biden-Harris administration also wants to see a transition to electric vehicles that builds our clean energy future with good, union jobs. Through these negotiations, the UAW and the Big 3 automakers are bringing us closer to that goal by including Ultium and other EV battery work in these agreements, among many other improvements. 

“This tentative agreement shows, as the President and I have often said, that collective bargaining works to help build an economy that works for all. Congratulations to the parties on this milestone achievement.”

WASHINGTON – Acting Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su released the following statement today after a tentative labor agreement was reached between the United Auto Workers and Stellantis: 

“Congratulations to the UAW and Stellantis for their dedication and focus in reaching a hard-won tentative agreement. The significance of this historic achievement coming just days after the UAW and Ford reached an agreement cannot be overstated. 

“This tentative agreement includes a number of important provisions, including a commitment to reopen the Belvidere plant in Illinois, which will bring good, union jobs back to that community. The UAW and Stellantis are also charting a future of good middle class jobs in battery manufacturing, consistent with the President's vision for a just transition where clean climate and good jobs go hand-in-hand.

“Today’s agreement demonstrates what is possible when workers have a voice and a seat at the table. On behalf of the most pro-worker, pro-union administration in history, we applaud the parties on what they have achieved.” 

WASHINGTON – Acting Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su released the following statement tonight after a tentative labor agreement was reached between the United Auto Workers and Ford:   

“I want to congratulate the United Auto Workers and Ford for their perseverance on reaching a hard-won tentative agreement tonight, demonstrating what the President and I have long made clear: when workers have a voice and seat at the table, the results are good for workers, good for employers, and good for our country. As the UAW and Ford have shown, when labor and management come together, it can chart a course for the future of an industry.   

“This tentative agreement and the provisions in it serve as a reminder to all of us that collective bargaining—though sometimes difficult—works.  

“In the days and weeks to come, UAW members will have their voices heard on whether to ratify this contract, and I will continue to stand with those who put workers first. Only when we value the people who keep our country running do we really uphold the values of our great nation.” 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the implementation of a final rule that modernizes Davis-Bacon Act and Davis-Bacon and Related Acts regulations to reflect the needs of construction workers on federally funded projects better.

Implementation of the “Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulation” follows the August 2023 publication of the final rule in the Federal Register, which is the most comprehensive update in decades.

The update greater clarifies and enhances the effectiveness of the DBRA regulations to meet the demands of the modern economy. They strengthen and streamline the process for setting and enforcing wage rates on federally funded construction projects to make sure federal infrastructure investments are also investments in U.S. workers.

“Modernizing the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts is key to making sure that the jobs being created under the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America agenda are good jobs and that workers get the fair wages and benefits they deserve on federally funded constructions projects across the nation,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “This updated rule will create pathways to the middle class for more families and help level the playing field for high-road employers because companies who exploit their workers, or who don’t pay workers fairly, should never have a competitive advantage.” 

The final rule’s regulatory changes improve the department’s ability to administer and enforce DBRA labor standards more effectively and efficiently. These changes include the following:

• Creating new efficiencies in the prevailing wage update system and making sure prevailing wage rates keep up with actual wages, which, over time, would mean higher wages for workers.
• Returning to the “prevailing wage” definition used from 1935 to 1983 to make sure prevailing wages reflect actual wages paid to workers in the local community.
• Periodically updating prevailing wage rates to address out-of-date wage determinations.
• Providing broader authority to adopt state or local wage determinations when certain criteria are met.
• Issuing supplemental rates for key job classifications when no survey data exists.
• Updating the regulatory language to better reflect modern construction practices.
• Strengthening worker protections and enforcement, including debarment and anti-retaliation provisions.

The DBRA requirements apply to an estimated tens of billions of dollars in federal and federally assisted construction spending each year and provide minimum wage rates for hundreds of thousands of U.S. construction workers. The department expects a significant increase in the number of industry workers due to the historic investments in federally funded construction projects made possible by legislation such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

“In light of recent investments in our nation’s infrastructure, modernized regulations are more important than ever to ensure fair wages and benefits for the workers who build and repair our roads, bridges, federal buildings and energy infrastructure,” said Principal Deputy Wage and Hour Division Administrator Jessica Looman. “They will help set wage rates for workers on these federally funded construction projects that better reflect the realities of today’s labor market.”

New federal investments will support projects related to clean energy, power and water infrastructure improvements, legacy pollution remediation, and renovation to the nation’s broadband and transportation infrastructures.

The DBRA’s purpose is to ensure employers on federally funded or assisted construction projects pay locally prevailing wages to construction workers and to prevent the unintended consequence of depressing workers’ wages during the government’s construction contracting activity.

Learn more about the final rule to modernize Davis-Bacon Act regulations.

Learn more about DBRA worker protections or the Wage and Hour Division. You may also call toll-free 1-866-4US-WAGE to speak directly and confidentially to a trained Wage and Hour Division professional. The division protects workers regardless of where they are from and can communicate with workers in more than 200 languages.

WASHINGTON – Today, in the White House H-2B Worker Protection Taskforce report, the U.S. Department of Labor joined the Department of Homeland Security, Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development to announce new efforts to strengthen protections for workers in the H-2B program, who are vulnerable to exploitation by their employers. 

Each agency involved in the task force is committed to key actions aimed at improving the safety and security of all workers under the H-2B program and ensuring American workers are not disadvantaged when employers use the visa program. These actions include better protecting workers engaged in labor disputes, addressing exploitation during recruitment, sharing resources with workers to inform them of their rights, enhancing data sharing and participating in a new working group dedicated to H-2 workers’ rights.

The announcement is part of the Biden-Harris administration’s whole-of-government approach to ensuring our most vulnerable workers know their rights, are protected from abuse at the hands of their employers and can advocate for themselves at work. 

“The H-2B program has been plagued by worker exploitation for too long,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “The Biden-Harris administration is committed to protecting H2-B workers from abuse and with this report, we’re taking a whole-of-government approach to protecting these vulnerable workers, which will also help ensure they are not used to undercut labor standards for domestic workers. We look forward to working with our sister agencies across the federal government to implement these recommendations and work towards better protecting every worker in America.” 

The White House Taskforce report announces more than a dozen action items to be taken across the federal government to advance protections for H-2B and, in select cases, H-2A workers. Partnering with the White House, Department of Homeland Security, Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of Labor will: 

• Reduce workers’ vulnerability to exploitation from labor recruiters and employers by using enhanced information collection from other agencies, making it easier to prevent and enforce against exploitation by recruiters. 
• Empower workers by identifying and developing resources designed to provide workers with information about their rights under H-2 programs and disseminating information widely, including through MigrantWorker.gov and through additional task force agency channels. 
• Leverage existing data to increase transparency and reduce the vulnerability of H-2 workers through interagency data sharing, which will improve outreach and streamline responses to labor law violations. 
• Participate in a new interagency H-2 Worker Protection Working Group to guide the implementation of deliverables described in the task force report. 

Read the interagency report and learn more about the H-2B Worker Protection Taskforce.