[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 127, 113th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 8939--MAR. 1, 2013

Proclamation 8939 of March 1, 2013

100th Anniversary of the United States Department of Labor
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
On March 4, 1913, President William Howard Taft signed a bill
establishing the United States Department of Labor--an agency charged
with promoting the welfare of American workers and ensuring their
efforts are rewarded with fair wages and real protections. After decades
of struggle by labor leaders and ordinary citizens, the Department took
up the cause of justice in the workplace and lifted it to the highest
halls of government.
Over the course of a century, the Department of Labor has fought to
secure strong safeguards for workers and their families. It helped lay
the cornerstones of middle class security, from the 40-hour work week
and the minimum wage to family leave and pensions. As the agency once
led by our Nation's first female Cabinet Secretary, the Department has
broken down barriers to equal opportunity in the workplace. And for
decades, it has improved worker safety and health and aggressively
combated child labor at home and abroad.
Today, the Department of Labor is working to restore the basic bargain
that built our country: that no matter what you look like or where you
come from, if you work hard and meet your responsibilities, you can get
ahead. It is forging new ladders of opportunity so a generation of
workers can get the 21st century skills and training they need. And to
preserve a century's progress in labor rights, the Department will
continue to ensure hardworking Americans always have a voice in
government and on the job.
On this centennial, we recognize the dedicated public servants at the
Department of Labor who have helped move our country forward, and we
reaffirm our commitment to giving America's workers the chance to build
a brighter future for themselves and their families.
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 March 4, 2013, as the
100th Anniversary of the United States Department of Labor. I call upon
all Americans to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies,
and activities that recognize the United States Department of Labor for
upholding dignity in our workplaces and our way of life.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of March,
in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence
of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.
BARACK OBAMA