Since his appointment as the Secretary of Labor, Thomas Perez has hit the ground running, weighing in on some of the more contentious issues currently being addressed by the Department of Labor.
In one of his first posts on the DOL’s official blog, Work in Progress, the newly-appointed secretary wrote about the triumphs and challenges of the Americans with Disability Act over the last 23 years. With regards to what he dubs the “opportunity business”, in his post he states: “it’s all about protecting, promoting and expanding opportunity.”
Affording anyone looking to enter the workforce every opportunity to do so is something that KRA Corporation has championed throughout our 30+ year history. In advocating for and supporting those with disabilities, we have worked closely with the with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, even receiving the Secretary’s Outstanding Distinguished Services Award for our work on the Developmental Disabilities Program Resource Management project.
While looking at another hot button issue that is drawing praise and criticism, Secretary Perez spoke of the opportunity the proposed raising of the Federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 per hour. In a Work in Progress blog post titled Raising the minimum wage: The right thing to do, the smart thing he endorses the current administration’s push for higher wages, writing: “The president’s minimum wage increase is part of his vision of an economy where opportunity is available to everyone; where we all get a fair shake; where the middle class is within reach no matter who you are or where you come from.”
The KRA Corporation team remains committed to any and all efforts by agencies and their representatives that are aimed at improving the quality of life for the workforce and as a result, the communities in which we live. This proposed increase in the Federal minimum wage represents a positive step towards equality that we strive for.
Most recently in pointing to the potential for workforce development president Obama’s “grand bargain” speech in Chattanooga, TN, the Secretary took to the official blog site to again reinforce his position as an opportunity creator “for people willing to work hard and take responsibility.”
KRA Corporation is proud to be of service to the DHHS and the DOL through our ongoing programs, respectively, with TANF and WIA workforce services initiatives, and we look forward to continuing to provide administrative, analytical, management, and technical services to the current Secretary during his opportunity offensive as he aims to “work together on policy solutions that are both are pro-business and pro-worker”.
Dr. Boone’s 20+ years’ experience in the industry is extensive and her expertise in private-, public-, and non-profit sector workforce-services organizations is unparalleled, particularly in the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan area.
