The Ultimate Honor

En Español

As I conclude my time at the Department of Labor, I am reflecting on the deep privilege it has been to serve in this role and the profound impact this department has on working people across America and the world.

For someone who grew up in an active union family and is a card-carrying union member, the opportunity to serve as secretary of labor for the most pro-worker, pro-labor president and administration in our nation’s history has been the ultimate honor. I am grateful to President Biden for the faith he placed in me, and for his historic leadership on behalf of working people everywhere.

The president’s passion and commitment to working people are matched only by my colleagues at the Department of Labor. I am in awe of the talent and dedication they bring to this work every day, and I will forever be proud of the work we’ve done together over the last two years.

We have been there for workers through a once-in-a-century pandemic and, in a historic recovery that brought deep shifts in labor dynamics, we encouraged and empowered workers to stand up for their rights and demand better opportunities.  

We strengthened the protections that workers depend on, putting the most vulnerable workers first, lifting up the needs of women, workers of color, workers with disabilities, and veterans, and advancing the values of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility through everything the department does. 

As someone who battled cancer as a child and addiction as an adult, my life has been defined by second chances, and our work delivered second chances to millions of people in this country who needed them. 

We promoted every worker’s right to form a union, rallied the entire federal government to advance labor rights, and provided critical information and support to workers during a historic surge in union organizing activity. We demonstrated the power of collective bargaining and the importance of labor-management collaboration to build the top-notch workforce that employers and our economy need, and to rebuild a strong, secure and inclusive middle class for our nation’s families. 

We brought high-quality, equitable job training and career pathways to more workers in more places and across more industries, and we collaborated across the president’s Cabinet to make sure that federal investments are creating good jobs with equitable access for the workers who need them the most.

Thanks once again to this president’s leadership, the rights and needs of working people are no longer the sole concern of the Department of Labor, but have been centered in the work of an entire administration as never before. Our work has been at the heart of the president’s success building an economy from the bottom up and the middle out, where no one is left behind – and it will continue to be. 

I leave this role with a deeper understanding of why working people are the heart and soul and strength of our nation. In my travels across this country, I have been moved and inspired by workers, students and apprentices at every kind of job. As the son of immigrants, I believe in America more than ever now that I have had the opportunity to serve our people.

And to all those workers, my colleagues and our partners in labor, government, business and nonprofits, thank you for walking with me on this journey.

Un Grandísimo Honor

Por: Secretario Marty Walsh

Al concluir mi tiempo en el Departamento de Trabajo estoy reflexionando sobre el profundo privilegio que ha sido servir en este cargo y en el gran impacto que este departamento tiene en los trabajadores de Estados Unidos y el mundo.

Para alguien que creció en una familia sindical y quien es miembro sindical, ha sido un grandísimo honor haber tenido la oportunidad de servir como secretario de trabajo para el presidente y la administración más pro-trabajadora y pro-trabajo de nuestra historia. Estoy agradecido al presidente Biden por la fe que depositó en mí y por su liderazgo histórico para todos los trabajadores.

La pasión y el compromiso del presidente para los trabajadores solo lo igualan mis colegas en el Departamento de Trabajo. Marcho con un verdadero sentimiento de admiración por el talento y la dedicación que los empleados del departamento aportan a este trabajo todos los días. Y siempre estaré orgulloso del trabajo que juntos hemos realizado durante los últimos dos años.

Hemos estado allí para los trabajadores durante una pandemia sin precedente en un siglo y en una histórica recuperación que ha cambiado profundamente la dinámica laboral; hemos alentado y empoderado a trabajadores a defender sus derechos y exigir mejores oportunidades.

Hemos reforzado las protecciones de las que dependen los trabajadores, priorizando a los trabajadores más vulnerables, las necesidades de las mujeres, los trabajadores de color, los trabajadores con discapacidades y los veteranos, y promoviendo los valores de diversidad, equidad, inclusión y accesibilidad en todo lo que hace el departamento.

Como alguien que ha luchado contra el cáncer siendo niño y contra la adicción como adulto, mi vida se ha definido por segundas oportunidades. Nuestro trabajo ha facilitado segundas oportunidades que millones de personas necesitaban.

Hemos promovido el derecho de todo trabajador a formar un sindicato</strong>; hemos juntado a todo el gobierno federal para promover derechos laborales y brindado información crítica y apoyo a los trabajadores durante un histórico aumento en la actividad de organización sindical. También hemos demostrado el poder de la negociación colectiva y la importancia de la colaboración trabajadores-patronal para construir la fuerza laboral de primer nivel que empleadores y nuestra economía necesitan, y para reconstruir una clase media fuerte, segura e inclusiva para las familias de nuestra nación.