REP LIEU STATEMENT IN HONOR OF LABOR DAY

"Labor Day is an opportunity to celebrate the millions of hardworking Americans who have fought bravely for the rights of workers throughout our nation's history. All work is valuable, and these activists have reminded us of that fact through tireless organizing and negotiations with employers. Labor unions have secured essential protections for workers in all sectors, including overtime pay, fair working conditions, job security and stronger benefits to adequately compensate workers. As unemployment remains at historic lows under the Biden-Harris Administration, we must remember that there is work still to be done to ensure all workers are treated fairly.

"In honor of Labor Day, I'm reflecting on labor leaders throughout history and the lessons they taught us. Each year I highlight individuals whose work has improved conditions for American workers."

Sue Ko Lee

Born in Hawaii and raised in California, Sue Ko Lee was a garment worker and leader with the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU). In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Chinese and Chinese American workers were often kept out of the organized labor movement due to racist hiring practices. By the 1930s, the IGLWU and other unions were successfully organizing African American, Asian American and Latino workers in California and across the country. In 1938, Lee led her coworkers in the ILGWU through an historic fifteen-week strike against the National Dollar Stores garment factory, eventually winning a new labor contract and guaranteed pay rate. Following this success, Lee joined the ILGWU as a staff member and attended national conventions on behalf of her coworkers and organized labor in California.

Richard Trumka

From 2009 to his death in 2021, Richard Trumka was president of the AFL-CIO, the largest labor organization in the United States. Trumka led national efforts to improve wages and working conditions for workers across the country. Notably, Trumka held that organized labor should make efforts to support the work of immigrant laborers across the economy. While at the head of the AFL-CIO, Trumka led with deep moral conviction and emphasized solidarity for workers across gender, race, ethnicity and religion.

Bayard Rustin

Bayard Rustin was an activist, strategist and organizer known for his work during the Civil Rights Movement. Once one of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s closest advisors, Rustin was a key organizer of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. From 1965 to 1979, Rustin served as the first head of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, the AFL-CIO's African American constituency organization. Rustin was an outspoken advocate for union integration and union membership for African American workers. Along with his contributions to the labor movement, Rustin was a fearless proponent of racial equality, gay rights and global humanitarian aid.

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