In Philadelphia During a Labor Day visit in Philadelphia on Monday, President Joe Biden, who frequently claims to be the most pro-union president in history, emphasized the value of unions and praised American workers for fostering the economy.

The Democratic president discussed the economy's recovery from the devastating coronavirus outbreak, what his administration has done to pay for infrastructure projects, and the role that unions play in fostering middle-class development.

"This Labor Day, we're celebrating jobs, good-paying jobs, jobs you can raise a family on, union jobs," Biden said to the assembled crowd on Monday. The president, who normally would have stood at the podium, walked around the stage while holding the microphone in his hand and holding signs that read, "UNION STRONG."

Labor Day, a festival celebrating workers, falls this year amid a climate in which American unions of all stripes are growing more assertive and where 146,000 United Auto Workers members could go on strike. But it also coincides with the fact that more Americans have started looking for employment than at any time since January, which is news that Vice President Biden is eager to promote as he runs for reelection in 2024.

The announcement that American firms added 187,000 jobs in August, indicative of a weakening but still robust labor market despite the high interest rates the Federal Reserve has imposed, came days before Biden's Labor Day speech.

According to the Labor Department's report released on Friday, the unemployment rate increased from 3.5% to 3.8%, which is still low by historical standards but the highest level since February 2022. However, the rate increased for a positive reason: 736,000 people started looking for employment last month, the highest number since January, and not all of them were immediately hired. Only those who are seeking for work on a regular basis are counted as unemployed.

The president repeatedly emphasized the value of middle-class employees to the economy, emphasizing that "everyone" benefits when the middle class prospers.

At the Tri-State Labor Day celebration in Philadelphia, hundreds of union members wearing T-shirts from their local organizations, including the Stagehands, United Food and Commercial Workers, and Sheet Metal Workers, waited to hear the president speak on a humid and muggy morning.

Philadelphia resident Lenny Nutter, who was sporting a yellow Laborers International Union t-shirt, said he went to the event to support Biden and added that, in part because of the president's policies, unions have become more active than they once were.

As more people join unions, more jobs are being allocated to union employees, according to Nutter.

In addition to personally supporting unionization efforts at major corporations like Amazon, Biden has utilized executive actions to encourage worker organization. He has also approved federal financing to support the pensions of union members. The Biden administration recently proposed a new regulation that would expand overtime pay eligibility to 3.6 million more U.S. workers, the largest such increase in decades.

The president said to the throng, "Now you're going to get paid overtime."

Additionally, as part of the bicameral $1.1 trillion public works plan authorized by Congress in 2021, Biden has toured the nation praising union labor for their work constructing bridges and enhancing train tunnels.

Last week, Biden stated that "unions raise standards across the workforce and industries, pushing up wages and strengthening benefits for everyone." "Wall Street didn't create America, as you've heard me say a lot. Unions helped the middle class grow, and the middle class helped build America.

The Philadelphia AFL-CIO, which, according to its website, is made up of more than 100 local labor unions representing more than 150,000 workers, is the organizer of the 36th annual Tri-State Labor Day Parade and Family Celebration.