[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 173 (Friday, September 6, 2013)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 54749-54750]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-21825]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 173 / Friday, September 6, 2013 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 54749]]


                Proclamation 9012 of August 30, 2013

                
Labor Day, 2013

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                On September 5, 1882, in what is thought to be the 
                first Labor Day event, thousands of working Americans 
                gathered to march in a New York City parade. In the 131 
                years since, America has called on our workers time and 
                again--to raise and connect our cities; to feed, heal, 
                and educate our Nation; to forge the latest 
                technological revolution. On Labor Day, we celebrate 
                these enduring contributions and honor all the men and 
                women who make up the world's greatest workforce.

                America is what it is today because workers began to 
                organize--to demand fair pay, decent hours, safe 
                working conditions, and the dignity of a secure 
                retirement. Through decades upon decades of struggle, 
                they won many of the rights and benefits we too often 
                take for granted today, from the 40-hour work week and 
                minimum wage to safety standards, workers' 
                compensation, and health insurance. These basic 
                protections allowed the middle class to flourish. They 
                formed the basis of the American dream and offered a 
                better life to anyone willing to work for it.

                Yet over the past decades, that promise began to erode. 
                People were working harder for less, and good jobs 
                became more difficult to find. My Administration 
                remains committed to restoring the basic bargain at the 
                heart of the American story. We are bringing good jobs 
                back to the United States. We are expanding programs 
                that train workers in tomorrow's industries, and we 
                eliminated tax breaks that benefited the wealthiest 
                Americans at the expense of the middle class. In the 
                years to come, I will continue to support collective 
                bargaining rights that strengthen the middle class and 
                give voice to workers across our Nation. And I will 
                keep pushing for a higher minimum wage--because in 
                America, no one who works full-time should have to live 
                in poverty.

                Thanks to the grit and resilience of the American 
                worker, we have cleared away the rubble of the worst 
                recession since the Great Depression. Now is the time 
                to reward that hard work. Today, as America celebrates 
                working people everywhere, we unite behind good jobs in 
                growing industries, and we strengthen our resolve to 
                rebuild our economy on a stronger foundation.

                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 2, 2013, 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 54750]]

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

[FR Doc. 2013-21825
Filed 9-5-13; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F3