Statement by Governor Bill Richardson Honoring American Workers in Recognition of Labor Day

LONDONDERRY, NH -- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today released the following statement in recognition of the upcoming Labor Day holiday, which honors American working men and women:

"On Labor Day, we honor the working men and women throughout history whose hard work and dedication have made this nation great, along with the workers of today who keep our economy moving. There is no workforce more capable or reliable than here in America.

"Unfortunately, American working families have been cast adrift and forgotten by the current administration. Our workers have been denied the right to collective bargaining and individual rights have been trampled upon. I say enough is enough. When I am President, the White House will once again be home to a friend of working American families.

"As President, I will not rest until government workers have the right to collective bargaining. I will help enact card check and fair share nationally, and my Secretary of Labor will be a union worker.

"In New Mexico, over 80,000 more people are working since I became Governor -- many of them in high-wage jobs. We have cut taxes on working families and on food and medical services. We have given tax breaks to companies that pay above the prevailing wage. We are building a new energy economy on the cutting edge of technology that will help reduce our dependence on foreign oil, mitigate global climate change and pollution, and create thousands of high-wage jobs for the future.

"I have stood with working men and women all my life because they have stood with me, and more importantly, because they have stood up for our nation.

"After six and a half years of George Bush, it is clearer now than ever that we need a President who believes in working men and women and who values a hard day's work. This Labor Day, let us commit to fixing the damage and building an economy that supports working Americans."