Before you head out today, I hope you’ll give me a second to honor the American workers who have built this country brick by brick, from the ground up.

They’re the working men and women across our country who rise before the sun — or tuck their children into bed before going to work. They’ve made our country what it is today and will continue to shape it for generations to come.

But, as many American workers have told me, our country’s not where we need it to be.

Education is getting more expensive. Wages have stagnated. Inequality is rising. That pathway to the middle class trod by generations before us is becoming steeper and narrower.

All the while, corporations are getting major tax breaks, bolstering their profits even higher thanks to Trump and his administration.

This is nothing new, Angela. For decades, Republicans and their wealthy corporate allies have chipped away at workers’ rights, weakening unions, and depressing wages.

As Democrats, we know the middle class is the backbone of our country. That’s why, when I was Secretary of Labor under President Obama, we fought like hell for working Americans.

We helped tens of millions of workers breathe clean air in the workplace. We helped create opportunities for tens of millions of workers to save for retirement. And we closed a 57-year loophole that favored union busters over union workers.

While Republicans continue taking aim at the labor movement, Democrats will keep standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our brothers and sisters.

I’m glad that you’ll be a part of that fight, Angela.

Tom

Tom Perez
Chair
Democratic National Committee