Pelosi Statement on New Jobs Numbers and Labor Day

Pelosi Statement on New Jobs Numbers and Labor Day

Washington, D.C.-House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement on the announcement by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that 144,000 jobs were created in August-less than economists had predicted-and in celebration of Labor Day:

"As we honor the American worker this Labor Day, today's announcement of continued mediocre job growth is a clear reminder that the Bush Administration's policies have dishonored workers for the past four years. Under President Bush's leadership, our country has lost 1.7 million jobs, wages have not kept pace with inflation, the jobs that are being created do not pay as much as the jobs being lost, and the number of jobs created does not even keep pace with the number of people entering the workforce.

"President Bush may claim the economy has turned the corner, but millions of Americans simply feel cornered between a lackluster job market that holds wages down and prices for health care, gas, and college tuition going up. This month's jobs report confirms that President Bush will have the worst record on job creation since the Great Depression.

"Labor Day is a time to honor the generations before us who built America and whose proud activism has given us the standard of living we cherish today, and it is a time to rededicate ourselves to improving the lives of working families. Sadly, under this Administration, we are re-fighting the same battles workers fought more than 100 years ago. From the moment they took office, President Bush and Republicans in Congress have waged an all-out assault on workers' rights and have pushed an agenda that ignores workers' needs. Just last week, President Bush put in place new regulations on overtime pay that will hurt millions of workers and will amount to the largest middle class pay cut in history.

"America can do better. Democrats are fighting to create jobs and to preserve the fundamental freedoms of American workers, including the right to quality health care, the right to safe workplaces, unemployment insurance, overtime and the sanctity of the 40-hour workweek.

"Working Americans built this country and remain the backbone of this great nation. This Labor Day, we must truly honor working Americans with an agenda worthy of their contributions to our country."