For Immediate Release
August 27, 2007

CONTACT:
Colleen Greer
Phone: 717-787-6801
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Weekly Column: Honoring Pennsylvania's Workforce

Labor Day – a time to honor our working people in America – is only a few days away. The holiday generally marks the end of the summer season and the start of a new school year. We fly flags, observe parades, listen to speeches reviewing workers' contributions to our society, and picnic outdoors. But this holiday also represents so much more.

It is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of all American workers. The strength of our economy comes from hardworking men and women who give their best effort every day to support their families, go to work, and make this Commonwealth and nation a better place. That's why Labor Day constitutes a yearly, national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

In Pennsylvania, there are some initiatives and programs that currently exist to promote and reward employers and their hard work, including financial incentives for companies that provide a safe work environment for their employees. Thousands of employers have already saved millions in workers' compensation costs by setting up a state certified workplace safety committee. Such committees reduce workers' compensation premiums by 5 percent each year. Additional cost reductions are achieved whenever workplace accidents and injuries are reduced.

In order to fulfill safety committee requirements, employers must complete a committee certification application and have it approved by the state Department of Labor and Industry. For more information on workplace and community safety, visit the department's website at www.dli.state.pa.us or call (717) 772-1635 or (717) 772-1917. Details are also available online regarding the training, development, and renewal of a workplace safety committee certification.

While safety committees are a small – but important – step in helping to make Pennsylvania job creators competitive, we can still do much more to improve our state's business climate. Central

Pennsylvania is home to a number of successful employers – both large and small – which provide quality jobs for many area residents. Although our workforce is second to none, we need to continue working harder to create and maintain more jobs here and attract more families to this Commonwealth.

We can accomplish this by keeping taxes low, working to reduce government red tape and regulations, and eliminating lawsuit abuse. Another essential ingredient for improving Pennsylvania's quality of life and its jobs climate is ensuring that we help the best and the brightest to move forward. It's important to remember that it's not government that creates jobs, it is people. However, government can help, foster, and support people's good ideas.

Too often, government gets in the way by issuing mandates or other requirements that slow, delay, or otherwise kills innovation. Other times, government simply moves jobs from one place to another. This is not economic development. Economic development is supporting people who develop new technologies, create industry, or foster entrepreneurship, and allow them to become viable. This encouragement establishes value that will create jobs.

As we observe the upcoming holiday, let's remember to pay tribute to the spirit of hard work and enterprise that has made this state and country strong. Labor Day is the celebration of the value and dignity of work and its role in the American way of life. Together, we need to ensure that Pennsylvania has a vision for improving our quality of life and job creation efforts so that we can continue to uphold the tradition this holiday celebrates.