Labor Day began as a federal holiday to honor our nation’s workers and to remember those in the labor movement who came to their defense over a century ago. They demanded that workers’ economic contributions be recognized and that people had safe workplaces, received fair wages, and had opportunities to succeed. In 1894, President Grover Cleveland took an important step and declared the first Monday every September as Labor Day.
For those of us at the U.S. Department of Labor, every day is Labor Day. Thousands of people throughout the nation, and here in Minnesota, work hard each day on behalf of working people. We help make sure people have access to training programs and good jobs in their communities; and we enforce laws that protect workers’ rights, wages, safety, health, and earned benefits.
From 2023 through June 30, 2024, your Labor Department has recovered $2,530,351 in wages for workers whose employers failed to follow the law and has recovered $8,328,779 in lost employee benefits in health care and retirement programs. Your federal Labor Department has also, since Jan. 1, 2024, issued 1,267 violations following Mine Safety and Health Administration investigations to protect miners on the job.
Your Labor Department invested nearly $21 million in active grants in Minnesota that expand registered apprenticeships; support seniors, Native Americans, and youths; and fund job-training programs that provide skills workers need to get good-paying jobs with benefits.
In 2024, your Labor Department has established new federal rules to protect workers, including an
overtime rule
that went into effect July 1, that increased to $43,888 the annual salary one must earn to be exempt from overtime, in most jobs. On Jan. 1, that will increase to $58,656 annually, with salary adjustments every three years beginning in 2027.
Another new rule
this year better protects workers from being misclassified as independent contractors and being denied full wages, benefits, and protections.
New regulations
protect miners
from exposure to silica dust, a leading cause of lung disease and death, and
require employers
to allow an employee representative to accompany OSHA inspectors to protect workers’ interest.
A new-this-year
H-2A farmworker protection final rule
protects temporary migrant workers from labor exploitation and human trafficking and adds safety requirements.
A new
retirement security rule
requires investment advisers to have policies and procedures to avoid conflicts of interest and make sure they give investment advice in the best interest of growing and protecting their clients’ retirement funds.
And a
rule was proposed
this year to require employers to protect workers from excessive indoor and outdoor heat exposure.
We’re also addressing many other critical issues, such as pay inequity, access to affordable child care, workplace flexibility, and paid leave and training. We are working with employers; workers; and local, state, and federal leaders to build a 21st-century workforce that leaves no one behind.
Your Labor Department remains committed, as it has been since 1913, to fostering, promoting, and developing the welfare of working people, improving their working conditions and enhancing their opportunities for profitable employment. We know when families succeed, communities thrive and the nation prospers.
Ruben R. Chapa of Chicago is chair of the U.S. Department of Labor’s executive committee for the Chicago and Kansas City region, which includes Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and seven other Midwestern states. He also is regional director of the Employee Benefits Security Administration. He wrote this exclusively for the News Tribune.
Ruben R. Chapa
(Photo by Shawn T. Moore)
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Publish date : 2024-08-30 13:00:00
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