“Growing up in Buffalo, I saw shuttered factories that once housed thousands of steel manufacturing jobs. I remember the hollowing-out of the middle class in our community. I witnessed hope turn to hardship as a once-thriving city reckoned with a fast-changing world.”

Tom Perez is a former U.S. Secretary of Labor and chair of the Democratic National Committee. He is recognized for his advocacy on workers’ rights and labor policy, shaping national conversations on economic fairness and union representation. His political career spans decades of progressive leadership in both government and party organizing.