When I became Labor Secretary one year ago today, I promised to deliver on President Donald Trump’s mission to put American workers first — and that began by getting out of the Washington, D.C. bubble and meeting directly with workers where they’re at.
I hit the ground running to have meaningful conversations directly with our workforce, visiting communities in all 50 states on my America at Work listening tour.
Kicking off last April in Northeastern Pennsylvania, I met local union leaders and elected officials to discuss challenges faced by everyday hardworking Americans.
Unlike previous administrations, our approach has emphasized building partnerships between unions, businesses, and educators to empower job creators and to protect workers’ rights.
For example, in Edison, New Jersey, I visited the Northeast Carpenters Training Center, a union-owned facility that provides hands-on training in carpentry, millwright work, cabinetmaking, and floor-laying.
I witnessed the center’s workforce development programs as they demonstrated the strong partnership between labor, industry, and educators in action — equipping students with the critical skills and safety training necessary for occupational success.
These are exactly the kind of programs that I set out to learn from so we can achieve our goal to Make America Skilled Again and surpass President Trump’s target of one million active apprentices.
In Le Sueur, Minnesota, I toured a facility managed by Cambria, a family-owned countertop manufacturer benefitting from President Trump’s America First policies.
Last year, Cambria announced an $80 million quartz processing plant and rail center in Southern Minnesota that will create even more jobs and help restore American manufacturing dominance. Cambria is one of thousands of Made in America businesses benefitting from the historic tax relief brought on by President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cut Act.
There was a consistent theme that I heard throughout these visits — employers are excited to keep more of their hard-earned money so they can invest more in their employees and communities, driving America’s economic comeback.
Factory workers at a Coca-Cola facility in Atlanta shared with me how they will personally benefit from the largest tax cut in American history, as President Trump’s elimination of overtime taxes will allow them to keep more of their paychecks and better support their families.
I also met restaurant workers at a Portsmouth, New Hampshire eatery who were excited about the “no tax on tips” provision of President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cut Act, which allows them to keep more of their hard-earned wages.
After speaking with policemen, business owners, shipyard workers, firefighters, and more, I have seen that Americans in every corner of the country agree: life is getting better thanks to President Trump’s leadership.
While in Boise, Idaho, I toured Micron’s chip manufacturing facility, and I attended a graduation ceremony for five new journeymen while also announcing 22 new apprentices entering the program’s next cohort.
Apprenticeship programs like Micron’s are critical to supporting the American worker and unleashing even greater economic growth in America.
Since President Trump took office, the Labor Department has added more than 345,000 new apprentices and registered 2,900 new apprenticeship programs — and that number only continues to grow.
Thanks to President Trump’s America First policies, companies like Micron are flourishing and providing family-supporting jobs right here in the United States. Micron has plans to invest $200 billion to expand its domestic manufacturing, and this is just one of many companies that are investing here in America.
It’s been an incredible privilege to meet the workers who are driving America’s economic comeback.
The stories I’ve heard on the ground will continue to help shape and modernize federal labor policies and practices moving forward.
That’s why the Department of Labor has already taken action: We’ve invested millions of dollars in expanding apprenticeships, announced 63 deregulatory actions to cut red tape, proposed rulemaking to support entrepreneurs, took action to establish drug price transparency, and so much more.
We’re going to continue to answer the call of our business owners, workers, and unions as we take what we’ve learned from our America at Work tour and use it to fuel our momentum to implement pro-growth, pro-worker policies that ensure the American workforce is the strongest and most capable in the world.
Under President Trump, the American worker’s story is finally being told — and Washington is listening.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer is the U.S. Secretary of Labor.
