Labor Day is the one day when we stop to honor the work that has made our nation great. It is also a day to celebrate the accomplishments of America's Labor movement. Clearly millions of American workers have enjoyed higher wages, better benefits, more secure jobs and greater safety and fairness in the workplace thanks to America's trade unions.

The recent UPS - Teamsters settlement upheld the integrity of the collective bargaining process that was honored fairly by both sides. President Clinton and I firmly believed that the solutions to the dispute would be found at the table by both parties.

For four and a half years President Clinton has stood with you. Our Administration shares your commitment to bringing opportunity, prosperity and justice to every one of America's 130 million workers and their families. We have made significant strides since 1993. More than 12 million new jobs have been created, and real wages are finally showing a long-overdue increase. Unemployment is lower than it's been in two decades, inflation and interest rates are down, and budget deficits have been tamed.

We have raised the minimum wage by more than 20 percent, with the second installment taking effect today. And we did it without sacrificing jobs. We have made pensions and health care more portable. The Clinton administration has made taxes fairer, and put more money in the pockets of the working poor. And we are fighting to expand educational opportunities for all our people. We have strengthened health and safety laws, so that no worker has to sacrifice their life for their livelihood. We have fought to protect workers' rights to organize and bargain with their employers, and we stood firm against the TEAM ACT and efforts to weaken the National Labor Relations Board. As Congress debates comp time, we will continue to fight with you, for the workers' right to choose overtime.

Long before I became your Secretary of Labor, I worked with the AFL-CIO in my first job with Catholic Charities, to help young men from housing projects in my hometown of Mobile, Alabama, find apprenticeships and jobs at the nearby Ingalls Shipyard. I will never forget these young men, aching for the dignity of useful work. I learned that unions can be the most powerful force for positive change in poor and working class communities, helping people earn decent wages and gain self-respect. Although the old labor song tells us that "someday we will gain the victory," in our ever-changing economy, we must always fight for new victories in the wake of ever-new challenges. As we approach the 21st century, we must concentrate on five fundamental goals to build lasting prosperity for every American: Every American must be equipped with the education and skills to hold good jobs with rising incomes and good benefits throughout their lives. America's poor must be able to move from welfare rolls to payrolls. We must guarantee economic security for every American when they retire. Working conditions must be safe, healthy and fair, with equal opportunity for all.

Americans must be able to succeed at home and at work, because no one should have to choose between families they love and jobs they need.

This administration is firmly committed to these principles of decency and dignity, but you must remain in the forefront of this great march to justice. America needs your leadership.

As my great predecessor, Labor Secretary Frances Perkins said more than 60 years ago: "We can look forward confidently, if we all work together, to the time when there will be increased profits for industry with workers receiving fair wages and having better working conditions and with wage earners not haunted by the fear of job insecurity and old age want."

I am committed to working with America's unions so that we will see that day.