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November 5, 2008 DOL Home > Newsroom > Speeches & Remarks |
Speeches by Secretary Elaine L. Chao Address at Welcoming Ceremony Thank you all for that warm welcome. Its great to look across this room and see people who represent every cross-section of business, government and labor. In fact, theres only one group we didnt invite, but probably should have: the meteorologists. We tried to get Willard Scott, but he was busy, of course. This is an exciting day, as all new beginnings are. I hope you share my feeling that the coming years will be an important time for everyone who works at, and with, the Department of Labor. Thats why its wonderful to see so many friends who have come from near and farmostly farto be with us today. Many of you have encouraged me, counseled me and believed in me, and I am deeply grateful for your taking the time to be with me today. In particular, I want to introduce my family, especially my parents, who have been so pivotal in my life. Without their support, confidence and faith, I would not be who I am today. So many years ago, when I came as a young child to America aboard a freighter, our ship sailed past the Statue of Liberty into New York Harbor. Little could I imagine then that I would be here with you today as the Secretary of Labor. Our early days here were difficult, but my parents were steadfast in their belief in Americas promise of opportunity. Hope was our touchstone. Hope in a better future kept us going. And for that reason, hope is really what I would like the Department of Labor to be abouthelping people reach their fullest potential in the greatest country on earthby giving them the training and skills they need to succeed in a rapidly changing world. Indeed, this is a time of tremendous changenot just in Washington, but across the country, even across the globe. Im not talking about changing leadership in the White House, but about huge changes in our economyin how we work, where we work, and how our professional lives fit in with our family lives. In some ways these changes are obviousthe explosive growth of the Internet economy, for instanceand in some ways more subtle. As I see it, our job at the Department of Labor is not just to react to changes, but to anticipate them and enable our workforce to adapt to them, perhaps even take advantage of them. We need to recognize that the 21st century economy is not the same one we grew up with, and Americas 21st century workforce has to adjust to those changes. To help people do thatto give them a constant hope in a changing worldwe need to become a 21st century Department of Labor, and that is the goal I set before all of us today. Some things, however, must not and will not change. Under my leadership, our first responsibility will always be to protect workers by enforcing our nations labor laws:
We need to enforce these laws using common sense, not just a reflexive, one-size-fits-all approach to every situation. And if we really are going to protect workers, we must put more emphasis than ever before on prevention and compliance assistancerather than just after-the-fact enforcement. Each time I approve a major fine against a companyfor safety violations that were discovered after an accident that cost the life of an employeeI cant help but feel a twinge that if we had just worked harder on prevention, we wouldnt be in the impossible position of trying to calculate the value of a lost human life. So while I am committed to enforcement, I believe that the necessary predicate to enforcement must be better prevention. At the same time, I think the Department of Labor has a broader mission that I believe it can fulfill: to become the Department of the Workforce, contributing to Americas economic development by investing in its most precious capital resource: its workers. Thanks to the work of Congress and the professionals at ETA, we have a new roadmapthe Workforce Investment Actto start us in the right direction. But we need more fresh ideas, fresh approaches, and new partnerships to help us prepare the 21st century workforce. What we refer to as the New Economy presents hopeful opportunities: thousands of good-paying, stimulating jobsin relatively safe working conditionswith limitless potential for advancement. But to achieve the hopes, we need to overcome the hurdles. Many of these new jobs go begging, because employers cant find the workers to fill them. At the same time, thousands of workers desperately want to fill those jobs, but need new training to be able to do so. And theres another hurdle we face in the future, which I call The Incredible Shrinking Workforce. Our population is aging. What used to be called the Woodstock generation is approaching retirementwhile advances in medicine are allowing them to live longer, healthier lives. Within a few decades, some demographic experts believe the American workforce simply will not be large enough to meet the demands of a continually growing economyand will not provide a sufficient tax base to take care of the next generation of retirees. In the face of these challenges, we at the Department of Labor need to provide a beacon of hope, finding solutions for our workers and for the economy as a whole. Thats why I want to call all of us at the Department of Labor to help prepare Americas 21st century workforce. Shortly, I will be creating within the Department a new Office of the 21st Century Workforce, to bring focus and drive to this mission. Its first responsibility will be to hold a Summit on the 21st Century Workforce this spring, where we will call on leaders from business, labor unions, government and elsewhere to address the structural changes that are affecting our workforce and our economy. We need to review every aspect of this Department work, to make sure we are helping and not hindering the development of a workforce that is ready for the future. But I want to make clear that this focus on the 21st Century Workforce is about a lot more than just making sure Silicon Valley has enough engineers. As I said earlier, our mission is to provide hopeby equipping every worker to have as fulfilling and financially rewarding a career as they aspire to have. To use the language of our President, its about making sure that no worker gets left behind. like those who have been laid off from jobs because their company couldnt keep up with technological changes or foreign competition. We need to re-train them so they dont get left behind. or those who didnt get a full educationas well as those who made a wrong turn at one point in their lives and are trying to make it back. We need to make sure they dont get left behind. And as the President has insisted, we must also reach out to those who have been denied the right to a productive, meaningful work life because of a disability. We have a new Office of Disability Employment Policy at the Labor Department, with a new budget of twenty million dollars. Its mission will be to carry out the Presidents New Freedom Initiative, getting technology and other tools to disabled Americans, so they can enter the economic mainstream. Were not just giving all these people training or assistive technology or a new job. Were giving them hopethe greatest gift of all. Over the next several years, we will have many opportunities to work on issues that are difficult, sometimes even contentious. This week is no exception, as Congress takes up legislation on this Departments ergonomics standard. Many times well agree; other times, well disagree. But I want to call all of us to something that seems to have eluded us over the last several yearsand that is to seek out the common ground. I urge us all to put aside our position papers and party labels, and start focusing on the larger issues that are facing our workforcethe real issues that matter to families as they sit around the dinner table, pay their bills, and think about their retirement. I believe thats where the common ground is waiting to be discovered. And if we can start by doing that, there is no end to what we will be able to accomplish for the good of Americas workforce. Thank you. # # # |
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