WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez released the following statement on the five-year anniversary of the last increase in the federal minimum wage:

"It's been exactly five years since workers at the bottom of the income ladder have gotten a raise. Since then, the cost of a gallon of milk, a week of child care, a month's rent and everything else a working family needs has gone up. But the federal minimum wage remains frozen at $7.25 per hour.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez today issued the following statement regarding Congressional approval of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act:

"Congress has taken a strong, decisive bipartisan step forward with the passage by both the Senate and the House of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. I applaud the members from both sides of the aisle who led the way to forge this compromise.

WASHINGTON — U.S Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement about the June 2014 Employment Situation report released today:

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement today regarding the U.S. Supreme Court's Harris v. Quinn decision:

"Home care workers do heroic work, providing high-quality, compassionate care that allows seniors and people with disabilities to live at home with independence and dignity.

WASHINGTON — From George Chauncey's "Gay New York" to Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass," work-related lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender literature and authors whose books focus on work are being highlighted for LGBT Pride Month as part of the U.S. Department of Labor's Books that Shaped Work in America.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez today issued the following statement regarding the resolution under consideration at the meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors in Dallas, Texas, June 20-23 that calls for an increase in the national minimum wage:

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement about the May 2014 Employment Situation report released today:

"The economy in May continued its steady recovery from the Great Recession, and we have now added 9.4 million new private-sector jobs over 51 consecutive months. The economy generated 217,000 new jobs in May — the fourth consecutive month exceeding 200,000 new jobs — and the unemployment rate held steady at 6.3 percent.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Blog, (Work in Progress), features a post by Carl Fillichio, the department's senior advisor for communications and public affairs, in which the department makes recommendations for summer reading lists and announces new additions to its Books that Shaped Work in America collection. Click here to tweet this blog post!

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez released the following statement regarding yesterday's deadly mine explosion in western Turkey:

"Yesterday in Turkey, hundreds of people left for their coal mining jobs and didn't come back.

"The United States stands in solidarity with Turkey as rescue efforts continue. We have experienced mine tragedies and disasters in our country over the years and understand the difficulties of the rescue operations and the grief and suffering of the families during these times.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement about the April 2014 Employment Situation report released today:

"This morning's report demonstrates that the economy continues to rebound after a brutal recession that began in 2007. The economy generated 288,000 new jobs in April. The 273,000 created by private employers brings us to 9.2 million total new private-sector jobs over the last 50 months. Unemployment fell to 6.3 percent, the lowest since September 2008.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez released the following statement after the Senate's vote on the Harkin-Reid-Merkley legislation that would have raised the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour:

"Today, a minority of U.S. senators blocked a minimum wage increase that a strong majority of the American people supports. In so doing, they have rejected a long bipartisan tradition of rewarding hard work with a fair wage.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of State, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. Agency for International Development today issued the following statement on the first anniversary of the Rana Plaza building collapse:

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez today issued the following statement regarding the Senate's passage of legislation to reauthorize emergency unemployment benefits for five months:

"Today, the U.S. Senate voted to provide relief to the more than 2.2 million Americans who have struggled to make ends meet since emergency unemployment benefits expired more than 90 days ago.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement about the March 2014 Employment Situation report released today:

"Today's report tells the story of a solid and steady economic recovery delivering more opportunity for more people. We saw 192,000 new jobs in the month of March, and the private sector has now created 8.9 million jobs over the last 49 consecutive months of employment growth. The unemployment rate held steady at 6.7 percent and is down from 7.5 percent a year ago.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement commending the Senate's confirmation of Christopher P. Lu as deputy secretary of labor:

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez today issued the following statement in observance of César Chávez Day, which is Monday, March 31:

"Today, we celebrate one of the greatest Americans of the 20th century. César Chávez's passion for social justice and his devotion to improving the lives of working people remain an inspiration 87 years after his birth.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez today issued the following statement regarding the release of the 2013 Employment Situation of Veterans report by the department's Bureau of Labor Statistics:

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement about the February 2014 Employment Situation report released today:

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez today released the president's fiscal year 2015 budget for the Department of Labor, which supports the president's plan to further grow the economy and create more jobs in America.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez today issued the following statement about Rep. John Dingell's retirement after 58 years in the U.S. House of Representatives:

"John Dingell is, plain and simple, a legend. His service to Michigan and the nation — in terms of both longevity and statesmanship — is unmatched, and his leadership will be sorely missed.