United States Department of Labor:"One Year as Your Secretary of Labor: A Message from Secretary Walsh"

 ing the 29th Secretary of Labor, Secretary Walsh reflects on how much the administration has accomplished to support America’s workers.

U.S. Department of Labor

March 25, 2022

On March 23, 2021, I was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris as the 29th Secretary of Labor for the United States of America. As the son of immigrants from Ireland and as someone who started my career on a construction site as a union laborer, it was the dream of a lifetime. Now, one year later, I’m in awe of how much we can accomplish when we come together in service to the working people of America. Our team at the Department of Labor – in partnership with workers, unions, employers, government leaders at every level and advocates on every issue – helped millions of workers during one of the toughest times in our history. We got people back to work safely and made tremendous strides forward in our goal of empowering all workers morning, noon and night. In my travels across the country I’ve seen how this work changes people’s lives, and I’ve seen how much more work is still to be done to build a truly equitable economy. I am filled with optimism for what lies ahead, and eager to continue our work together. If we can get this much done in a year, I believe there’s no limit to what we can achieve for America’s workers moving forward. In solidarity, Marty Walsh U.S. Secretary of Labor Celebrating Rosie’s legacy Women’s Bureau Director Wendy Chun-Hoon joined tradeswomen at a roundtable hosted by the Rosie the Riveter Trust in California this week to discuss closing the wage gap and empowering women in the workforce. She also visited the Rosie the Riveter Historic Park in Richmond and met with two women who worked at the shipyards in World War II. Read more about our efforts to uphold the Rosie legacy and support today’s workers. Workforce training and good jobs On the West Coast this week, Secretary Walsh highlighted the value of workforce training in strengthening the nation’s economy with elected officials, Tribal leaders and others. The visit followed the recent announcement of the department’s “Good Jobs Initiative,” a coordinated effort led by the Department of Labor to improve job quality nationwide. $71M to support employment readiness for American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians We’re making $71 million in funding available to expand training and employment opportunities for American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities, where high unemployment rates and lower levels of education have contributed to an ongoing cycle of unemployment and poverty. Protecting workers, promoting diversity and enforcing the law A 2020 rule undermined OFCCP’s ability to advance its mission and remove barriers to equal employment opportunity in federal contracting. A new proposed rule would fix the problems created by the 2020 rule and realign the agency’s procedures and mission. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT $1.45M restored Three restaurants and their owners must pay $1.45 million in back wages and damages to 116 workers who were denied overtime wages. Opioid grants We awarded $2,833,333 to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to train and employ participants for jobs to address the impacts of the opioid crisis. Comments requested OSHA has reopened the rulemaking record and scheduled a public hearing on a proposed final rule to protect healthcare workers from COVID-19. The ACA at 12 On the 12th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, we reflect on how it made health coverage more accessible and affordable for millions. Safety citations OSHA cited a packaging manufacturer for failing to follow safety requirements that could have prevented a worker from suffering severe burns from hot liquid plastic. DATA SPOTLIGHT Historic recovery continues When President Biden took office in January 2021, more than 800,000 new unemployment insurance claims were being filed each week. Today, we're seeing the lowest level for initial claims since September 1969. HISTORY HIGHLIGHT Women in American mines Throughout America’s history, women have played a critical role in mines and mining operations, often in the face of prejudice and other hardships.