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9/6/2021

Statement from Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen on Labor Day | U.S. Department of the Treasury

Statement from Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen on
Labor Day
September 6, 2021

I’m hoping that this particular Labor Day is more than just holiday marking the end of
summer. I’m hoping that it’s a moment of national reflection. Maybe even a moment of
change.
It’s clearer than ever that the process of securing dignity for America’s workers is not
complete. For decades, we’ve seen wage divergence in America. For many working families
the very phrase – “working family” – is less a description than a dilemma: Work or family?
Right now, we have a chance to ease this dilemma for millions of Americans and to build an
economy that li s workers up rather than weighing them down. There are a number of
proposals that could soon become law, programs including wider access to childcare and
pre-K education so that more parents – especially women – can return to the workforce and
earn a paycheck. President Biden has also proposed more a ordable tuition so more
workers land jobs that pay higher wages and more a ordable housing so Americans can buy
the main asset that builds generational wealth: the family home.
The pandemic has shown us just how valuable many workers are to our society. Grocery
clerks, mail carriers, nurses: We started calling these workers “essential” during the
pandemic, but they really always were. If there is a positive legacy from COVID-19’s adjacent
economic crisis, I hope that’s it: We build an economy that’s deserving of the workers who
preserved it during our most challenging moment.
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https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0344

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