Labor Day, 2012

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.

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.