This week, Trade Representative Katherine Tai, Director of the White House Gender Policy Council Jennifer Klein, Deputy Undersecretary of International Labor Affairs Thea Lee, Deputy Assistant to the President Samantha Silverberg and the White House Office of Public Engagement hosted a group of women labor leaders and organizers at the White House. The event, held in partnership with the AFL-CIO and moderated by White House Senior Labor Advisor Erika Dinkel-Smith, was a celebration of women in labor in honor of Women's History Month and highlighted how the Biden-Harris Administration is putting women and girls at the heart of the Administration's economic agenda, and promoting and defending women workers' rights both domestically and abroad.
Since President Biden took office, the economy has created nearly 15 million jobs and women have seen the lowest unemployment rate in more than five decades. President's Investing in America Agenda is prioritizing increased access in sectors where women have historically been underrepresented, like manufacturing, construction, and clean energy, and is championing equal pay and ensuring women have access to the resources they need to enter and remain in the workforce, including high-quality, affordable child care.
Participants included AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, AFL-CIO State Federation and Central Labor Council leaders, as well as young women organizers on the front lines of organizing new workplaces and expanding the benefits of unionization to women in their states. Collectively, attendees represented union members in the 14 states they represent.
Biden-Harris Administration Participants:
- Ambassador Katherine Tai, United States Trade Representative
- Jennifer Klein, Assistant to the President and Director of the Gender Policy Council
- Thea Lee, Deputy Undersecretary for International Labor Affairs, Department of Labor
- Samantha Silverberg, Deputy Assistant to the President for Infrastructure Implementation
- Erika Dinkel-Smith, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Labor Advisor
Roundtable Participants:
- Liz Shuler, President, American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
- AFL-CIO State Federation Leaders
- AFL-CIO Central Labor Council and Area Labor Federation Leaders
- Young Women Organizers
