"My Priorities Are Focused on Bolstering Worker Power'

Labor Day exists to celebrate the American worker. And this year, as the pandemic drags on, it’s a day to mourn, too. Essential workers have sacrificed their well-being and, in some cases, their lives to keep the country running. But “essential work” is just a label; there are no policies or regulations that protect the people who perform this work. It’s a pressing issue for Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh and his department.

Formerly the mayor of Boston, Walsh also headed the Greater Boston Building Trades coalition and is a second-generation member of the Laborers’ union. He now faces a tough task: Under the leadership of Walsh’s predecessor, Eugene Scalia, Donald Trump’s Labor Department was routinely antagonistic to workers’ rights. Walsh must rebuild the department and shore up workers’ rights as far as his remit allows — a challenge he tells us he’s prepared to take on.

Why is this Labor Day such an important milestone for workers?

The last year and a half has imposed unprecedented challenges for America’s workers, and we continue to navigate rebuilding our economy. While we’ve gained over 4 million jobs since the start of the Biden-Harris administration and recovered 75 percent of our workforce, we still have a steep hill to climb. Workers of color and immigrant workers were disproportionately devastated by the pandemic and worked on the front lines to help keep us safe, fed, and moving forward. Not only are we deeply grateful but our entire country has a new understanding and appreciation of the work these people do every single day, no matter what.

What challenges did you inherit from the previous administration, and how did they make conditions more difficult for the American worker?

The previous administration severely weakened enforcement power in worker-protection agencies like the Occupational Health and Safety Administration and even scaled back efforts to provide overtime pay for more workers and protect retirees’ funds. What’s more, the previous administration’s handling of the pandemic left millions of workers worse off. Over the last nine months, we have issued 18 final rules, both rescinding prior rules and implementing new ones, in order to improve the health, safety, and economic security of workers.

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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/my-priorities-are-focused-on-bolstering-worker-power/ar-AAO9mto