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.

OAKLAND, CA – Acting Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su today released the following statement after a tentative labor agreement was reached between leaders for the coalition representing health care workers and Kaiser Permanente:

“Today, following many rounds of intense negotiations, leadership for Kaiser Permanente and the coalition of unions representing its workers reached a tentative agreement covering more than 85,000 workers across seven states and the District of Columbia. This hard-won, historic deal reflects the dedication and commitment of both parties and a longstanding labor-management partnership between them. 

“What the parties have achieved here in Oakland demonstrates, once again, that collective bargaining works. When workers have a voice and a seat at the table, it can result in historic gains for workers, their employer and our country.  

“The President and I congratulate the parties on reaching a mutually beneficial deal that delivers important stability for this critical workforce, for Kaiser Permanente and for the patients in their collective care.”

WASHINGTON – Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su joined the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United in New York City on Oct. 11, 2023, for a roundtable highlighting issues faced by restaurant workers. The roundtable centered on the ways the organization employs grants from the Department of Labor, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Susan Harwood Training Grant and the Women’s Bureau’s Fostering Access, Rights and Equity Grant to support workers in this industry. 

In 2023, ROC was awarded a $160,000 Susan Harwood Targeted Topic Training Grant award that will fund two and a half hours of heat safety training to 600 workers in the restaurant industry, with a specific focus on youth, hard-to-reach workers, and workers with limited English proficiency. ROC United is an OSHA “Beat the Heat” award winner. 

The Fostering Access, Rights and Equity Grants help women workers who are paid low wages learn about and access their employment rights and benefits. ROC United organizers regularly lead sexual harassment trainings in restaurants in Los Angeles and the District of Columbia. The FARE grant awarded to ROC United helps it amplify and replicate its effective train-the-trainer model and impact thousands of workers. 

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to have joined the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United in New York City for a substantive discussion with workers and high road employers on what matters most to them – issues like heat exposure, affordable childcare, workforce training that leads to good jobs and careers, and ensuring discrimination- and harassment-free workplaces,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Jule Su. “ROC United is an extraordinary organization, and the department is proud to help advance their efforts to ensure workers are safe and respected in the workplace.” 

“My training has given me the skills that I need to advance into higher-paying job positions in the restaurant industry, as well as the knowledge about my rights as a worker,” said Subashini Chandrasekera, a server for a catering business in New York City. “When I got my food handling certificate, it increased my hourly wages and opened more opportunities for me. About 60 percent of restaurant workers who completed ROC United’s professional development program have obtained hourly wage increases of $2 or $3 per hour. We need this kind of free professional training for the front- and back-of-the-house workers, which I hope the Department of Labor will support in the near future.”

"Most restaurant workers lack job protections, if any. It feels like a family, which I like the most, but it is almost impossible to sustain a family if you can be fired anytime for speaking up, the wages don’t necessarily go up unless mandated by law, discrimination and harassment – at least in the restaurants that I worked for – are rampant, and no medical and vacation benefits. There are employers who know and understand what we are going through and adhere to fair labor standards. That’s why I believe these changes can be done; policies can be regulated," said Joseph Bunn, a restaurant worker in Chicago and New York City.

Learn more about the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United.