Labor Day Celebrations

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a celebration recognizing the social and economic achievements of American workers. Labor Day is a annual national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well being of our Country and our State. Now that Labor Day has passed, I would like to share with you some of the recent achievements that have been made to both expand and protect our workforce.

The celebration of Labor Day is a fitting opportunity to discuss how government has honored the members of our State's workforce. During the recently concluded legislative session, the Senate made job creation and expansion of our workforce a top priority as well as ensuring that employees work in a safe environment raising the quality of new and existing jobs. In order to stimulate our economy the Senate implemented new and innovative solutions from green and energy efficient jobs to an expansion of the protections given to domestic workers.

I was pleased to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass a jobs package that will provide small business with an SBA loan tax credit to bolster business growth, attract innovative companies with tax credits for start-up technology companies and expanded the definition of work activities to include work-study and internship positions. In addition to directly creating jobs, I co-sponsored and helped pass the Domestic Worker's Bill of Rights, making New York the first state in the nation to provide new standards of worker protections for more than 200,000 employees in an industry that has gone unregulated for decades.

While we have worked to make our laws more business friendly around the State, I have secured millions in funding for the county’s top employers for expansion growth and job creation projects. Earlier this year, a $3.25 million grant was awarded New York Medical College in Valhalla, which will create a new research facility as well as dozens of high quality jobs in Westchester County. Most recently, I was able to secure a $750,000 grant for San-Mar Laboratories in Elmsford to expand business operations as well as retain and create hundreds of jobs in the region.

I hope that you enjoyed the Labor Day weekend safely and responsibly as we celebrated the men and women of our communities that do so much for all of us.