[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 172 (Thursday, September 7, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 61463-61465]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-19442]


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                         Presidential Documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 172 / Thursday, September 7, 2023 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 61463]]

                Proclamation 10617 of September 1, 2023

                
Labor Day, 2023

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                I have often said that the middle class built this 
                country and that unions built the middle class. On 
                Labor Day, we honor that essential truth and the 
                dedication and dignity of American workers, who power 
                our Nation's prosperity.

                They have built the railways, highways, and waterways 
                that connect us from coast to coast, have forged the 
                look and feel of American cities, and have protected 
                our communities and families as first responders. 
                Organized workers have fundamentally transformed how we 
                live and work in this country--from securing the 8-hour 
                work day and overtime pay to mandating standard safety 
                practices in workplaces and earning better health care, 
                pensions, and other benefits for all workers.

                American workers are the best in the world, but over 
                the past few decades, too many leaders embraced an 
                economic theory that failed them and our unions. It is 
                called trickle-down economics. It is the belief that we 
                should cut taxes for the wealthy and big corporations 
                and wait for the benefits to trickle down to workers 
                and American families. It is a belief that we should 
                shrink public investment in infrastructure and public 
                education. It is a tax policy that encourages 
                corporations to move operations and jobs overseas.

                Trickle-down policies slashed investments in people and 
                communities and allowed big corporations to amass more 
                power while limiting the ability of workers to join 
                unions. It did not matter where companies made things, 
                as long as it helped their bottom line--even if it 
                meant losing the very workers who had helped them 
                succeed. Companies cut staff, shipped good jobs 
                overseas, prioritized cheap labor, and silenced 
                workers' voices. As a result, factories and businesses 
                across the country shut down, entire communities were 
                hollowed out, and for many working people, a path to 
                better their circumstances would never be within reach. 
                People working as hard as ever could not get ahead 
                because it was harder to buy a home, pay for a college 
                education, start a business, and retire with dignity. 
                The moment we embraced trickle-down economics, we 
                walked away from who we are and from the way our Nation 
                was built.

                I knew our Nation could not continue with those same 
                failed policies, so I came into office determined to 
                build an economy that grows from the middle out and 
                bottom up, not the top down. And it is working. We have 
                added over 13 million jobs, including 800,000 
                manufacturing jobs. We added more jobs in my first two 
                years than any President in a single 4-year term 
                because we are investing in America and Americans 
                again.

                The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law I signed is a once-
                in-a-generation investment that puts Americans to work 
                rebuilding our Nation's infrastructure using American-
                made materials. We have announced nearly 37,000 new 
                projects since we passed the bill. For me, it was a top 
                priority that the overwhelming majority of these 
                investments be covered by Davis-Bacon prevailing wage 
                requirements to make sure the hundreds of thousands of 
                jobs we create are good-paying jobs.

[[Page 61464]]

                We passed the CHIPS and Science Act to bring 
                semiconductor manufacturing back to American shores and 
                ensure that the United States leads the world in 
                innovation. It has attracted over $166 billion in 
                investment and ignited a semiconductor manufacturing 
                boom. Our Inflation Reduction Act helps build the clean 
                energy industries of the future here at home while 
                incentivizing companies to adopt strong labor 
                standards. Our American Rescue Plan includes funding to 
                protect over two million union workers, retirees, and 
                their families from benefit cuts to the pensions they 
                have earned. All of these investments mean good-paying 
                jobs that American workers can raise their families on, 
                many of which do not require a 4-year college degree.

                By investing more in Registered Apprenticeships and in 
                career and technical education programs than any 
                previous administration, we are ensuring that every 
                American--from every region and background--can access 
                the training and education needed to participate in our 
                Nation's economic prosperity. My Administration is 
                working to crack down on non-compete agreements that 
                keep 30 million Americans from taking new jobs with 
                higher wages in their field. We are taking action to 
                protect workers' health and safety from hazards they 
                may be exposed to on the job, such as silica dust and 
                other toxic materials. And my Administration is 
                empowering American workers and giving working families 
                some breathing room by bringing the cost of 
                prescription drugs and health care down for millions of 
                Americans.

                I promised to be the most pro-union President in 
                history, and I firmly believe that every worker in 
                America should have the free and fair choice to join a 
                union or organize and bargain collectively with their 
                employer without coercion or intimidation. That is 
                because when organized labor wins, our Nation wins. My 
                Administration will continue to support and encourage 
                labor unions so that workers have a seat at the 
                decision-making table, an opportunity to speak truth to 
                power, and the support to fight for the dignity and 
                respect they deserve.

                On Labor Day, we stand in solidarity with all the 
                workers who lift our Nation to new heights and all the 
                labor unions who give all workers power and voice. May 
                we continue working to restore the American Dream for 
                every person willing to work hard in our Nation by 
                embracing what has always been the foundation of our 
                country's success: investing in America and American 
                workers.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., 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 4, 
                2023, 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 energy and innovation of working 
                Americans.

[[Page 61465]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                first day of September, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                eighth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2023-19442
Filed 9-6-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P