[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 175 (Thursday, September 10, 2015)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 54695-54696]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-22997]



[[Page 54693]]

Vol. 80

Thursday,

No. 175

September 10, 2015

Part III





The President





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Proclamation 9316--Labor Day, 2015



Executive Order 13706--Establishing Paid Sick Leave for Federal 
Contractors
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  Federal Register / Vol. 80 , No. 175 / Thursday, September 10, 2015 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

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                Proclamation 9316 of September 4, 2015

                
Labor Day, 2015

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Every year, our Nation sets aside Labor Day to 
                celebrate the working men and women of America, whose 
                grit and resilience have built our country and made our 
                economic progress possible. Our economy has now added 8 
                million jobs over the past 3 years, a pace that has not 
                been exceeded since 2000, and our businesses have 
                created 13.1 million jobs over 66 straight months--
                extending the longest streak on record. By almost every 
                measure, the American economy and our workers are 
                better off than when I took office; but this has not 
                come easy, and our work is not yet done.

                These gains are part of our Nation's long legacy of 
                fighting for middle-class economics--policies that 
                ensure opportunity is open to everyone who is willing 
                to work hard and play by the rules--and they have made 
                America stronger and more prosperous. As a Nation, we 
                can build on these advances and accelerate our 
                progress. History shows that working families can get a 
                fair shot in this country, but only if we are willing 
                to organize and fight for it. Together, we can ensure 
                our growing economy benefits everyone and fuels rising 
                incomes and a thriving middle class.

                At the beginning of the last century, Americans came 
                together to fight for dignity and justice in the 
                workplace. With courage and determination, women and 
                men stood up, marched, and raised their voices for a 
                40-hour workweek, weekends, and workplace safety laws. 
                It is because of workers who agitated--and the unions 
                who had their backs--that we enjoy many of the 
                protections we often take for granted today, including 
                overtime pay, a minimum wage, and the right to organize 
                for better pay and benefits. These hard-won victories 
                are the foundation of our robust middle class, which 
                has led to the largest, most prosperous economy in the 
                world, and they are central to the belief that our 
                economy does not grow from the top down--it grows from 
                the middle out.

                As President, I am committed to defending these pillars 
                of opportunity and bolstering our Nation's pathways 
                into the middle class. That is why I have been fighting 
                since day one to secure a better bargain for all 
                Americans--one where an honest day's work is rewarded 
                with an honest day's pay, where our workplaces are 
                safer, and where it is easier, not harder, to join a 
                union. Policies like paid sick days, paid family and 
                medical leave, workplace flexibility, the right to 
                organize, and equal pay for equal work are national 
                economic priorities that are essential to building an 
                economy that benefits from the contributions of all our 
                people. And because everyone has the right to a fair 
                living wage, I signed an Executive Order to raise the 
                minimum wage for workers on new Federal contracts, and 
                I have called on the Congress to raise the national 
                minimum wage. Additionally, my Administration has 
                proposed extending overtime pay to nearly 5 million 
                workers, which would give more Americans the chance to 
                be paid for their extra hours of work or have more time 
                at home with their families.

                Since I took office, Governors, mayors, and local 
                leaders have joined me in expanding these policies by 
                enacting paid sick days and paid family leave and 
                raising the minimum wage in States, cities, and 
                counties across

[[Page 54696]]

                our Nation. Still, more work remains because in 
                America, no one who is working full-time should have to 
                raise their family in poverty. A secure future should 
                be possible for everyone who clocks in each morning, 
                every parent who works the graveyard shift to provide 
                for their family, and every young person who dreams of 
                going to college and knows that with hard work they can 
                get there. That is the future we are fighting for, and 
                I will keep pushing until the American dream is within 
                the reach of all people who are willing to work for it. 
                This Labor Day, let us remember the struggles and the 
                progress that have defined America, and let us resolve 
                to continue building a Nation where everyone is treated 
                fairly, where hard work pays off, and where all things 
                are possible for all people.

                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 7, 2015, 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.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                fourth day of September, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and fortieth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2015-22997
Filed 9-9-15; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F5