Friend,

Like so many observances in the time of COVID-19, Labor Day has taken on an entirely new meaning this year. Across the country, our essential workers -- first responders, grocery store clerks, nurses, teachers, public transit operators, and so many others -- risk their lives to keep us safe, to keep us fed, and to keep our economy moving. Meanwhile, millions of Americans are still unemployed, and countless more are earning far too little for their labor.

I know what it’s like to grow up with nothing and to have your family’s small business be your ticket to a brighter future. My parents helped make ends meet by selling gifts at a local flea market, eventually saving up enough money to open up a gift shop in a shopping plaza, and then six more stores, where my brother and I worked outside of school.

For them, a job wasn’t just a job -- it was their place in the community, their means of providing for our family, and their way to teach us the value of a day’s work. This country is filled with people like my parents, and if there’s anything this pandemic has taught us, it’s that hardworking Americans have been undervalued for far too long.

This Labor Day, as a show of our appreciation, it’s finally time to start honoring our working families through our actions, and not just our words. That means guaranteeing PPE and hazard pay for every essential worker; strengthening workplace safety regulations, particularly as COVID-19 continues to spread; and extending unemployment benefits while also developing a proactive, science-based response to this pandemic so that workers can safely return to their jobs.

I’m proud to stand with America’s workers, today and every day.

Best,
Ted

DONATE