Remarks Prepared for Delivery by U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao at LATINA Style 50

Thank you, Robert [Bard, President and CEO of LATINA Style].

It's a pleasure to be here this afternoon. This is the 8th time I have attended this luncheon, and I have really enjoyed our time together.

Because our country is part of a worldwide economy, the goal of diversity is more important than ever before. Our diversity is a competitive advantage that should be encouraged and cherished.

There is so much we can do if we put our minds to it, and this event focuses on Latinas who are giving us a head start. Many of you are trailblazers for your communities. Congratulations! And thank you LATINA Style for highlighting their success stories.

Being from Texas, President George W. Bush has a special affection and appreciation for the Hispanic community. So it's not surprising that this Administration includes a number of "firsts."

Secretary Carlos Gutierrez is our first Hispanic Secretary of Commerce. Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was our nation's first Hispanic Attorney General. And former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez, is now the first Cuban American U.S. Senator. Anna Escobedo Cabral has been appointed the Treasurer of the United States, succeeding Rosario Marin. In fact, President Bush has appointed the most Hispanic American Cabinet members, and the highest number of Hispanic Presidential appointees, in our nation's history.

These leaders are just a few examples of the tremendous contributions being made by Hispanic Americans. And our country continues to provide unprecedented opportunity for all.

As some of you may know, the World Economic Forum recently released its Global Competitiveness Report for 2007-2008. And, this year, the U.S. topped the rankings as the most competitive economy in the world.

And, last September 2007, the UN — through the International Labor Organization — issued a report naming America's workers the most productive of any nation.

This is all positive, encouraging news. And one of the factors that will help our country's workforce remain strong and productive is its growing diversity.

Today, our country is becoming increasingly part of a worldwide economy. Today, two-thirds of all the new jobs being created require higher skills and more education. It's important to tell young people to stay in school, get an education.

And, the Department has created many initiatives to help traditionally underserved communities, including Hispanic Americans, take advantage of the new opportunities being created in our economy. The Hispanic Worker Training Initiative helps Hispanic American workers access opportunity in rapidly growing sectors of the economy.

Another key mission of the Labor Department is to ensure that workers are safe on the job and fully and fairly compensated. Since 2001, the Department's approach of strong enforcement and compliance assistance has produced safer, healthier workplaces. Since 2002, the overall workplace injury and illness rate has declined by 17 percent. And since 2001, fatality rate among Hispanic workers has fallen by almost 22 percent.

This Administration has targeted enforcement of our nation's wage and hour laws on industries that employ large numbers of vulnerable workers. And, since 2001, the Department has increased the amount of wages recovered for workers by 67 percent.

Labor law materials have been translated into multiple languages, including Spanish. And, the Department sponsored the first-ever Hispanic Health and Safety Summit.

Finally, let me touch on an important issue for women, especially working women. The Department is making a special effort to make available key information about retirement security. If you look on our website you can find an array of bilingual publications about retirement and many other important issues at www.dol.gov.

The Department has bilingual Benefits Advisors all over the country who directly assist workers with retirement issues. The Department's Women's Bureau also hosts "Women and Money" conferences for the Hispanic community.

Before retirement, though, many of you are holding down jobs and trying to raise a family. And, for many women, the Family and Medical Leave Act helps balance the increased demands that are being felt by all women.

After 15 years of experience with FMLA, the Department has undertaken a review of the FMLA regulations. And the Department received more than 15,000 comments from employers and workers — some of them very personal stories. After reviewing them, it was imperative to make some common sense changes to the regulations in order to strengthen accountability and clarify the responsibilities of both employers and workers. These proposed regulations will be published soon, and I encourage you to take a look at them. We hope these will help strengthen and preserve access to this important benefit for America's workers.

Hispanic Americans have made so many contributions to our country. For centuries you have been making America stronger, and enriching our country with your rich traditions and hard work. And, by working together, we can continue to strengthen the diversity that makes our country great.

Thank you.

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