|
 Printer-Friendly Version
Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao
2001 Secretary of
Labor's Opportunity Award
The Auditorium
October 18, 2001
Thank you, Joe. And thank you for your service at the Department of
Labor. It's great to be here with Charles James, the Director of the OFCCP, and
with so many friends and supporters.
The companies and organizations honored today have implemented exemplary
programs and practices that ensure that equal opportunity is available to all.
In the United States, the promise to ensure equal opportunity in the
workplace depends on partnerships between government and industry. It depends
on programs, policies and outreach efforts that guarantee real access to
on-going opportunities.
We are here today to recognize the voluntary efforts of companies and
non-profit organizations to ensure that the American dream remains an American
reality.
President George W. Bush summed the issue up best when he said:
"The ambitions of some Americans are limited by failing schools and
hidden prejudice and of circumstances of their birth. And sometimes our
differences run so deep it seems we share a continent but not a country. We
do not accept this, and we will not allow it. Our unity, our union is a
serious work of leaders and citizens and every generation. And this is my
solemn pledge: I will work to build a single nation of justice and
opportunity." .
A single nation of justice and opportunity. After September 11th, those
words take on even greater meaning. In the days after the attacks on our
country, we have seen first-hand the misery and violence that injustice breeds
in places where people have no hope. Places that still deny women their
fundamental liberties. Tyrannies that persecute people of differing faiths or
political views. Regimes that restrict basic human rights, and as a result,
devalue the sanctity of all human life.
It is easy to forget how blessed we are in this country. We have seen
how quickly we unite when the values we view as so intrinsically "American" are
threatened - values like tolerance, equality, fair-play and compassion.
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance has never forgotten how
important these values are to our national life. Or how important they are to
the millions of Americans who continue, and rightly so, to believe this country
offers the best hope for people willing and able to reach their dreams.
Whether the challenge is devising strategies to create a more
family-friendly workplace. Or to introduce more women into non-traditional
jobs. Or to provide job-readiness training for the hearing-impaired, in every
case, our award winners have gone the extra mile. They are moving our nation
toward a future they understand must include room for the talents and
aspirations of every American.
That future is also of great concern to the Department of Labor and this
Administration. Through effective and compassionate programs, we are focusing
not only on the workers who are currently laid off, but also on the economy
that will hire them back. As President George W. Bush has said, "One person out
of work is one too many."
The President has therefore proposed a program, "The Back to Work"
Relief Program, that will provide swift and compassionate assistance to
dislocated workers and their families using the current structure of our
tried-and-true Department of Labor programs.
The "Back to Work" Relief program automatically extends
unemployment benefits to states hit hardest by the September 11th attacks - and
we pay for it with 100% federal money, instead of the usual 50-50 split with
the states.
This will immediately cover New York and Virginia, and also other states
where the unemployment rate rises 30 percent above the pre-September 11th
level. In these states, dislocated workers will have nine months of
compensation in which to find long-term employment.
It also massively expands our National Emergency Grant program by $3
billion -
- These cash payments can be used by workers to pay for their
healthcare insurance premiums so they can keep their health benefits during
these trying times;
- It will pay for training programs that lead to new jobs;
- It will extend financial assistance to low-income workers who may not
qualify for unemployment insurance coverage.
This is a proven program and the state departments of labor know how to
access it quickly. All a governor would need to do is apply, and certify that
the attacks of September 11th contributed importantly to layoffs or
dislocations in his or her state.
Instead of Washington dictating how these funds should be spent,
governors would have the flexibility to decide what needs were most pressing
for workers in their states:
- They could use this money to pay 75% of workers' COBRA premiums for
up to ten months.
- They could add on an additional 13 weeks of unemployment insurance
to the already existing 26 weeks, if their state didn't qualify for extended
benefits under the President's plan.
- They could pay for training programs for workers, pick up their
child-care costs, and pay for relocation expenses when they find a new job.
We believe that the President's "Back to Work" Relief Plan fulfills
every expectation we should have of a strong and compassionate response to
those whose livelihoods have been harmed by the attacks of September 11th.
Together, through the kind of partnerships we're celebrating today, I
believe we can meet the challenges of this new world, and shape a better world
for future generations.
Thank you all very much and congratulations.
| 
