President Biden on Monday signed a proclamation to establish a national monument honoring Frances Perkins, the first woman to serve in a presidential Cabinet and the nation’s longest-serving labor secretary.
Mr. Biden made the announcement and signed the proclamation during a visit to the Labor Department. The monument will be built in Newcastle, Maine.
“Many of the benefits we take for granted are a consequence of Frances’ dedication, insight and courage,” Mr. Biden said. “She cemented the idea that if you are working a full-time job, you shouldn’t have to live in poverty, a simple proposition.”
Perkins served under President Franklin Roosevelt and helped implement many of his New Deal policies, including the creation of Social Security, the right of workers to organize and bargain collectively, the establishment of the minimum wage, the implementation of overtime pay, the prohibition of child labor and the establishment of unemployment insurance, according to a White House fact sheet.
She also created the Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal program that provided conservation and development jobs for manual laborers on government-owned rural land, the White House said.
Mr. Biden was joined at the event by acting Labor Secretary Julie Su and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, as well as labor leaders and feminists.
The move comes as Mr. Biden nears the end of his presidency and he’s focused on cementing his legacy as a champion of union and labor rights. He frequently brags that he’s the most pro-union president in modern history.
Perkins’ monument will be in Newcastle because her family had deep roots in the town, where she was buried after her death in 1965. The monument would be established on her family homestead and managed by the National Park Service.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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