Lucille Roybal-Allard: “we must never forget a time in our country when American workers were forced to toil in appalling conditions, earning…”

“we must never forget a time in our country when American workers were forced to toil in appalling conditions, earning pitifully low wages, a time when men, women and, yes, even our children labored under hazardous conditions even during 12 hour work days without breaks or sick leave. If they were injured or dared to complain about these injustices, they risked losing their jobs. Today, thankfully, we have a minimum wage, an 8 hour workday, sick leave, health and safety protections, workers' compensation and unemployment insurance, overtime pay, Social Security, pensions and the right to organize. These hard-won protections may never have been realized without the heroic efforts of organized labor. For it was organized labor that led the campaign to provide free public education to all our Nation's children. And it was organized labor that was a leader in helping to pass landmark legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Pay Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Age Discrimination Act. As a result, all Americans benefited. That is why, Mr. Speaker, when a ballot initiative in California threatened labor's very existence, voters stood with our unions.”