[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 173 (Thursday, September 6, 2012)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 55103-55104]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-22155]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 77 , No. 173 / Thursday, September 6, 2012 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 55103]]


                Proclamation 8857 of August 31, 2012

                
Labor Day, 2012

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Through times of prosperity and hardship alike, America 
                counts on the strength and dynamism of the world's 
                finest labor force. From the factory floor and the 
                office to the classroom and the interstate, working men 
                and women are the unshakable foundation of American 
                innovation and economic growth. On Labor Day, we 
                celebrate their vital role and reaffirm that America 
                will always stand behind our workers.

                The rights and benefits we enjoy today were not simply 
                handed to working men and women; they had to be won. 
                Brick by brick, America's labor unions helped raise the 
                landmarks of middle-class security: the 40-hour 
                workweek and weekends, paid leave and pensions, the 
                minimum wage and health insurance, Social Security and 
                Medicare. These are the victories that make our 
                Nation's promise possible--the idea that if we work 
                hard and play by the rules, we can make a better life 
                for ourselves and our families.

                I am committed to preserving the collective bargaining 
                rights that helped build the greatest middle class the 
                world has ever known. It is the fundamental right of 
                every American to have a voice on the job, and a chance 
                to negotiate for fair pay, safe working conditions, and 
                a secure retirement. When we uphold these basic 
                principles, our middle class grows and everybody 
                prospers.

                Our Nation faces tough times, but I have never stopped 
                betting on the American worker. This is the labor force 
                that revolutionized the assembly line and built the 
                arsenal of democracy that defeated fascism in World War 
                II. These are the workers who built our homes, 
                highways, and rail lines, who educate our children and 
                care for the sick. American workers have taken us 
                through the digital revolution and into a 21st-century 
                economy. As my Administration fights to create good 
                jobs and restore the American dream, I am confident 
                that, together, we will emerge from today's challenges 
                as we always have--stronger than ever before.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim September 3, 2012, as 
                Labor Day. I call upon all public officials and people 
                of the United States to observe this day with 
                appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that 
                honor the contributions and resilience of working 
                Americans.

[[Page 55104]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2012-22155
Filed 9-5-12; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F2-P