GOVERNOR ELIOT SPITZER CELEBRATES LABOR HISTORY MONTH

Governor Eliot Spitzer today celebrated the many accomplishments of the labor community in a ceremony recognizing Labor History Month held at the Joseph S. Murphy Center for Labor, Community and Policy Studies at the City University of New York. New York has long been at the forefront of the movement to protect the labor rights of children, women, minorities and immigrants -- recognizing the significant contributions of these groups to the state’s workforce.

The Governor also marked the occasion by announcing the creation of the Bureau of Immigrant Affairs in the Department of Labor to protect the rights of our immigrant workers and the signing of an Executive Order granting child care workers the right to organize and negotiate with the State about issues of mutual importance.

The Governor was joined by Department of Labor Commissioner M. Patricia Smith to issue a Proclamation declaring May 2007 Labor History Month. Labor History Month recognizes the sacrifices and accomplishments of generations of New York State workers.

“New York's diverse work force is the fabric of our economic, social and cultural life,” said Governor Spitzer. “While today’s New Yorkers work in safer conditions and for more equitable pay than workers did generations ago, we must continue to protect their rights, ensure their safety, respect their contribution and recognize them as the economic engine and one of the most valuable assets of our state.”

Since the creation of the Department of Labor at the turn of the last century, New York State has dramatically reduced the number of young children in the workplace, recognized the importance of immigrants to New York’s workforce, passed the nation’s first work-safety laws, authorized unemployment insurance for the jobless, established a “bill of rights” for working people, and set and raised a minimum wage for all workers.

By providing a 9 percent increase in enforcement staff within the Department of Labor's Labor Standards Division, the Spitzer Administration has underscored its commitment to enforcing labor laws. The Labor Department is dedicated to ensuring that workers receive the proper wage and that safety requirements are strictly observed. This remains a critical part of the Administration’s efforts moving forward.

The newly created Bureau of Immigrant Affairs will specifically focus on integrating immigrants into all state workforce programs, ensuring that there are no undue barriers to accessing benefits, and by moving aggressively to enforce New York State labor laws.

In addition to demonstrating his commitment to workers’ rights, the Governor announced the signing of an Executive Order granting child care providers the right to organize, select representatives, and negotiate with the state to improve their benefits and working conditions and the overall quality of child care in New York State.

“Thousands of New Yorkers rely on child care providers to take care of their children while they earn a living,” said Governor Spitzer. “Allowing these workers to organize and negotiate is not only fair, but smart. This Executive Order will help both to improve working conditions and provide necessary protections for this important sector of our workforce, while raising standards and expectations for providers and enhancing the quality of care for our children.”

New York is the seventh state to allow for such representation, joining Iowa, Illinois, Washington, New Jersey, Oregon and Wisconsin. A report on the experience of these states issued by the National Women’s Law Center in February found that these state organization efforts have been successful in fostering the kind of increased public investment in child care essential to improving its quality and availability.