Department of Labor Secretary Hot Button Issues

KRA Corporation looks at some of the positions adopted by the new Secretary of the DOL on pressing labor topics.

Thomas Perez has spent little time dallying since his Secretary of Labor appointment, offering his thoughts on some of those issues the Department of Labor’s has on their hot To-Do list.

Perez believes that the DOL are in “opportunity business,” and using the DOL’s written platform, the official blog Work in Progress, one of his first posts explored the ups and downs experienced by the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) in its 23-year history. In that post he states: “it’s all about protecting, promoting and expanding opportunity”

KRA Corporation has spent over 30 years providing and promoting those same opportunities to anyone looking to enter the workforce. Our work as advocates for and supporters of those with disabilities, which helped us receive the Secretary’s Outstanding Distinguished Services Award for our work on the Developmental Disabilities Program Resource Management project has seen us work in close conjunction with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Administration on Developmental Disabilities.

Secretary Perez also took the opportunity the speak to the proposed raising of the Federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 per hour—another contentious issue that drawing equal amounts of praise and criticism.

In praising the administration’s move to try and promote a higher wage, he writes in a blog post titled Raising the Minimum Wage: The Right Thing To Do, the Smart Thing:

“The president’s minimum wage increase is part of his vision of an economy where opportunity is available to everyone; where we all get a fair shake; where the middle class is within reach no matter who you are or where you come from.”

This proposed increase in the Federal minimum wage represents a positive step towards equality, improving the quality of life for the workforce and our communities—something that the KRA Corporation team remains committed to, and so we look forward to the efforts by agencies and their representatives that are aimed at achieving this end.

Most recently, Secretary Perez highlighted president Obama’s “grand bargain” speech in Chattanooga, TN, pointing out the potential for workforce development it contained. In another official blog, he reinforced his position as an opportunity creator “for people willing to work hard and take responsibility.”

We are proud to be of service to the DHHS and the DOL through our ongoing programs, respectively, with TANF and WIA workforce services initiatives, and in joining secretary on his opportunity offensive to “work together on policy solutions that are both are pro-business and pro-worker” KRA Corporation looks forward to continuing to provide administrative, analytical, management, and technical services.