Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 175 (September 10, 2015)
Page Range
54693-54696
FR Document
2015-22997
Federal Register, Volume 80 Issue 175 (Thursday, September 10, 2015)
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 175 (Thursday, September 10, 2015)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 54693-54696]
From the Federal Register Online [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-22997]
[[Page 54693]]
Vol. 80
Thursday,
No. 175
September 10, 2015
Part III
The President
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Proclamation 9316--Labor Day, 2015
Executive Order 13706--Establishing Paid Sick Leave for Federal
Contractors
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 80 , No. 175 / Thursday, September 10, 2015 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 54695]]
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