The nation’s labor secretary says there’s hope for those who toil in unsafe, oppressive working conditions: “We don’t have to accept a situation we cannot bear. We can change it.”

That inspiration was at the heart of an address by U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis at the UAW’s 35th Constitutional Convention on Thursday.

U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis praised the UAW for its efforts in a number of areas, including helping President Obama getting health care reform passed. Photo by John Davis, UAW Local 2195.

Solis began her remarks by paying homage to former UAW President Ron Gettelfinger.

“Over the past few years, Ron has steered his members through a period of drastic job cuts, plant closures and financial hardship,” she said. “He is an outspoken advocate for working families, health care for all Americans, and he has criticized the corporate global chase for the lowest wage, which creates a race to the bottom that no workers, in any country, can win.”

Solis praised the UAW for its active involvement in the struggle for civil rights, better schools and pensions, tougher workplace health and safety standards and stronger workers’ compensation benefits.
 
“And you were all instrumental in helping the president and members of the House and the Senate to push forward that health insurance reform that just passed” she said. “Thank you so much, UAW.”

Solis acknowledged there is still much work to be done to make sure working families have decent wages and working conditions, and there are jobs available for the unemployed. But, she said, the Obama administration has made strides in digging the country out of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

“He pushed for the Recovery Act, which helped us gain jobs and lower the unemployment rate. This marks the fifth straight month that we have had job growth,” she said.

Still, she emphasized the pain of job loss is all too real for too many, particularly auto workers, whom she met with while traveling the country.

“One of the first meetings that I held when I became the labor secretary was when I came out to meet with auto workers. And that day will remain in my mind, in my memory. Because that was the day that a plant was closing. And it hurt to hear the stories of the workers,” said Solis. “They didn’t want a handout. They wanted a hand up. They wanted someone to say, ‘Here, let’s work together, let’s fix this.’ And that’s exactly what the Department of Labor is attempting to do now.”

Solis said the Obama administration will continue to stand by U.S. automakers because a healthy economy must include a strong manufacturing sector. That’s why the federal government continues to fund initiatives to support communities devastated by auto job losses, she said.

“In the last 15 months the Department of Labor has invested more than $843 million in services for workers in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana,” said Solis.

Another key part of the Obama labor agenda is job safety. Solis says a job isn’t good unless it’s safe and secure.

“Workplace enforcement and safety is not only our responsibility, it’s our moral obligation,” she said, noting that more than 700 inspectors, investigators and other program staff have been added to her department’s workforce, bringing federal job safety enforcement efforts to levels not seen in almost 10 years.

That initiative includes a new outreach program called “We Can Help,” an information campaign for workers about their rights on the job, focusing on industries such as construction, meat packing, food service and home health care.

Solis says another key to good working conditions is the right to join a union, which is needed now more than ever.

“Some people say that given the state of the economy, we can’t afford unions right now,” said Solis. “They’ve got it backward: Good jobs for everyone includes a voice at work, which is why I was a co-sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act.”

Solis told delegates not to give up their fight for the right for all workers to join a union and improve their wages and working conditions.

“Make no mistake; You’ve got a White House and a Labor Department that is working for you,” said Solis. “You’ve got an administration keeping its promises to working people.”

Joan Silvi