As Labor Day weekend begins Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Secretary of the Labor Department, Hilda Solis, on Friday expressed their commitment for ongoing work until every American is “back on their feet.”
“Despite the fact that we have added private sector jobs to the economy for seven straight months, the nation’s unemployment rate hovers above 9 percent,” Solis said. “You can be certain, that like the President, I will not stop working until every American is back on their feet, and we have fulfilled our mission to provide good and safe jobs for everyone,” she added.
“We have a lot of work to do together. In the weeks and months ahead, policy makers will be debating what should come next,” Solis continued. “To those who say we can no longer afford to train, retool and educate our workforce, I say we can’t afford not to.”
Speaker Pelosi said that on Labor Day, the U.S. will be renewing its commitment to strengthening the country’s workforce, expanding job opportunities, and “fulfilling the goals at the heart of our economic success: a full day’s pay for an honest day’s work, fair treatment in the workplace, and equal opportunity for all.”
“America’s workers have long stood as the backbone of our prosperity as a nation. They are the cornerstones of our middle class; the men and women who make growth and innovation a reality across the country; and the critical threads in the fabric of our economy. On this Labor Day, we will continue to work on their behalf to create jobs and strengthen our middle class,” Pelosi added.
The United States Department of Labor on Friday announced that the unemployment rate rose 9.6 percent in August due to the reluctance of private companies to hire workers due to the fragile economic situation.
The recent data shows a slight 1 percent increase to July’s unemployment rate. From May through August, the jobless rate remained in the range of 9.5 to 9.7 percent.
In the last month, government employment fell by 121,000, mainly due to the departure of 114,000 temporary workers hired for the 2010 Census. The private sector added a modest 67,000 workers to its payroll.
“We have now added private sector jobs for eight straight months, totaling 763,000 private sector jobs since the beginning of the year. While we need to pick up the pace of recovery, erase the job losses and get Americans back to work, this encouraging growth shows that we are headed in the right direction,” Solis said.
On Monday, Americans in the country and around the world will celebrate Labor Day, which President Grover Cleveland in 1894 declared a national holiday.
