Labor Day, 2013

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.

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.