Current:Home > FinanceBiden heads to Philadelphia for a Labor Day parade and is expected to speak about unions’ importance-InfoLens
Biden heads to Philadelphia for a Labor Day parade and is expected to speak about unions’ importance
View Date:2024-12-23 12:46:13
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden, who often says he’s the most pro-union president in history, is heading to Philadelphia on Monday for the annual Tri-State Labor Day Parade.
The Democratic president is expected to speak about the importance of unions in the United States and how the economy is recovering from the crippling coronavirus pandemic.
Labor Day, a holiday honoring workers, comes as the U.S. has added jobs and more people have begun looking for work, the most since January, all news Biden is eager to highlight as he seeks reelection in 2024.
“As we head into Labor Day, we ought to take a step back and take note of the fact that America is now in one of the strongest job-creating periods in our history,” Biden said Friday from the Rose Garden, where he spoke after the news that America’s employers added 187,000 jobs in August, evidence of a slowing but still-resilient labor market despite the high interest rates the Federal Reserve has imposed.
Friday’s report from the Labor Department also showed that the unemployment rate rose from 3.5% to 3.8%, the highest level since February 2022 though still low by historical standards. But the rate rose for an encouraging reason: 736,000 people began looking for work last month, the most since January, and not all of them found jobs right away. Only people who are actively looking for a job are counted as unemployed.
“People are coming off the sidelines, getting back to their workplaces,” Biden said.
Biden has used executive actions to promote worker organizing, has personally cheered unionization efforts at corporate giants like Amazon and has authorized federal funding to aid union members’ pensions. Just last week, the Biden administration proposed a new rule would make 3.6 million more U.S. workers eligible for overtime pay, the most generous such increase in decades.
Biden also has traveled the country, trumpeting how union labor is building bridges and improving train tunnels as part of the bipartisan $1.1 trillion public works package Congress passed in 2021.
“Unions raise standards across the workforce and industries, pushing up wages and strengthening benefits for everyone,” Biden said Friday. “You’ve heard me say many times: Wall Street didn’t build America. The middle class built America, and unions built the middle class.”
The 36th annual Tri-State Labor Day Parade and Family Celebration is hosted by the Philadelphia AFL-CIO, whose website says it comprises more than 100 local labor unions representing more than 150,000 workers.
veryGood! (4)
Related
- CFP bracket prediction: SEC adds a fifth team to field while a Big Ten unbeaten falls out
- Fires scorch France and Spain as temperature-related deaths soar
- Kylie Jenner Rocks Chic Style at Coachella: Look Back at the Kardashian-Jenners' Best Festival Looks
- Get Ready to Smile, RHOBH Fans: Dorit Kemsley Is Hosting a Homeless Not Toothless Gala
- CFP bracket prediction: SEC adds a fifth team to field while a Big Ten unbeaten falls out
- 24-Hour Flash Deal: Get $210 Worth of Philosophy Skincare for Just $69
- The Lilo & Stitch Ohana Is Growing: Meet the Stars Joining Disney's Live-Action Movie
- Renewable energy is maligned by misinformation. It's a distraction, experts say
- 'He's driving the bus': Jim Harbaugh effect paying dividends for Justin Herbert, Chargers
- Ukrainians have a special place in their hearts for Boris Johnson
Ranking
- Is Veterans Day a federal holiday? Here's what to know for November 11
- The U.S. Forest Service is taking emergency action to save sequoias from wildfires
- 11 more tips on how to stay cool without an A/C, recommended by NPR's readers
- How people, pets and infrastructure can respond to extreme heat
- Cruise ship rescues 4 from disabled catamaran hundreds of miles off Bermuda, officials say
- The Amazon, the Colorado River and a price on nature
- 11 more tips on how to stay cool without an A/C, recommended by NPR's readers
- Ryan Seacrest's Girlfriend Aubrey Paige Pens Message to Inspiring Host on His Last Day at Live
Recommendation
-
Investigators believe Wisconsin kayaker faked his own death before fleeing to eastern Europe
-
People who want to visit the world's tallest living tree now risk a $5,000 fine
-
The Exact Moment Love Is Blind’s Paul Decided What to Tell Micah at Altar
-
Yellowstone National Park will partially reopen Wednesday after historic floods
-
2025 NFL Draft order: Updated first round picks after Week 10 games
-
Your Ultimate Guide to Finding the Best Sunscreen, According to a Dermatologist
-
Fires scorch France and Spain as temperature-related deaths soar
-
War in Ukraine is driving demand for Africa's natural gas. That's controversial