WASHINGTON – U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Public Affairs Julie McClain Downey issued the following statement on the May 2023 Employment Situation Report:

WASHINGTON – Representatives from the Domestic Policy Council, Department of Labor, Office of Personnel Management, and the Department of Veterans Affairs convened today for a roundtable on Mental Health at Work at the White House. The discussion focused on the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to promoting best practices to improve worker mental health in federal workplaces.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Public Affairs Julie McClain Downey issued the following statement on the April 2023 Employment Situation Report:

“Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the American economy added 253,000 jobs in the month of April, and the unemployment rate ticked down to a historic low mark of 3.4 percent – the lowest since May 1969. The last time the unemployment rate was lower was October 1953. 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Julie McClain Downey issued the following statement on the March 2023 Employment Situation Report:

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services today announced a Memorandum of Agreement to advance ongoing efforts to address child labor exploitation. 

WASHINGTON – For women working in the U.S., the date of Equal Pay Day isn’t a day of celebration. Rather, the day is a reminder that it takes women 15 months to earn the same amount as men earned in 12 months.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh issued the following statement on the February 2023 Employment Situation Report:

WASHINGTON – The Biden-Harris administration today released President Biden’s budget for fiscal year 2024. The budget details a blueprint to grow the economy from the bottom up and middle out, lower costs for families, protect and strengthen Medicare and Social Security, and reduce the deficit by ensuring the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share – all while ensuring no one making less than $400,000 per year pays more in taxes.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh convened the “Youth Employment Works Summit” today at U.S. Department of Labor headquarters to unveil the department’s strategy for building a workforce in which all young people can prepare for opportunities for high-quality careers.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh issued the following statement on President Biden’s announcement of his intent to nominate Julie Su as the next secretary of labor:

“I am grateful to President Biden for announcing his intent to nominate my dear friend and colleague, Deputy Secretary Julie Su, to succeed me as U.S. Secretary of Labor. 

WASHINGTON – Since 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor has seen a 69 percent increase in children being employed illegally by companies. In the last fiscal year, the department found 835 companies it investigated had employed more than 3,800 children in violation of labor laws. The maximum civil monetary penalty under current law for a child labor violation is $15,138 per child. That’s not high enough to be a deterrent for major profitable companies.

BARBERTON, OH ‒ In less than two years, three workers at a leading tool manufacturer in Barberton suffered injuries from unguarded machinery.

The latest injury occurred on Oct. 26, 2022, when a worker suffered a left thumb amputation while hand-feeding parts into a drill press using air-activated clamps. The worker had been on the job for just three months. In December 2020 and June 2022, two other workers performing similar tasks suffered laceration injuries.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh has made several appointments and changes to the staffing of the appeals boards that review a variety of workplace and worker rights claims. The actions will increase efficiency, ensure workplace justice and improve the quality of services provided to the nation’s workers and families.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh joined Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker today to sign a memorandum that gives the Occupational Safety and Health Administration the authority to issue certifications in support of applications for U Nonimmigrant Status and T Nonimmigrant Status visas.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh issued the following statement about the December 2022 and January 2023 sentencings of six trade union leaders in Belarus:

TULSA, OK – In a visit to Tulsa, Oklahoma today, Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh highlighted the need to promote economic justice for people in Black and other underserved communities and how the U.S. Department of Labor is working to help business owners create good-paying jobs and equip workers to fill these positions in these communities.   

WASHINGTON – To help meet the need for auto technicians in the growing electric vehicle industry, the U.S. Department of Labor today announced a national partnership with Mercedes-Benz USA to train Job Corps students initially at centers in Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Utah for automotive industry careers.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh issued the following statement on the January 2023 Employment Situation Report:

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that it is accepting applications for the 2023 HIRE Vets Medallion Award. The award is presented annually to employers that meet standards for excellence in the recruitment, hiring and retention of America’s military veterans.

WASHINGTON – The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement today requested that the government of Mexico conduct another review at the VU Manufacturing parts facility in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, in response to an allegation the facility continues to deny workers’ rights.