Biden Nominates Julie Su to Be His Next Labor Secretary

February 28, 2023 by Dan McCue
Biden Nominates Julie Su to Be His Next Labor Secretary
Julie Su

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday nominated Deputy Labor Secretary Julie Su to be his next secretary of labor, less than two weeks after the current holder of the post, Marty Walsh, announced his departure.

As previously reported by The Well News, Walsh is leaving the administration in mid-March to  become the next executive director of the National Hockey League Players’ Association.

Assuming Su’s nomination is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, she is poised to become the first Asian American member of the president’s Cabinet.

She was confirmed as deputy secretary in the same chamber last July.

“Julie has spent her life fighting to make sure that everyone has a fair shot, that no community is overlooked, and that no worker is left behind,” Biden said in a written statement released by the White House as he traveled to Virginia Beach, Virginia, Tuesday for an appearance. 

The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Su was born in Wisconsin and later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.

Su started her legal career at Asian Pacific American Legal Center, a nonprofit legal aid and civil rights organization, in Los Angeles, California, and then served as litigation director for Advancing Justice L.A., another  nonprofit.

During Jerry Brown’s tenure as governor, Su headed California’s Division of Labor Standards Enforcement; then, under Gov. Gavin Newsom, she served as secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency.

As the California Labor commissioner, she launched the “Wage Theft is a Crime” campaign with the support of both labor and management.

“Over several decades, Julie has led the largest state labor department in the nation, cracked down on wage theft, fought to protect trafficked workers, increased the minimum wage, created good-paying, high-quality jobs, and established and enforced workplace safety standards,” the president said of her qualifications to be Labor secretary.

“Julie is a champion for workers, and she has been a critical partner to Secretary Walsh since the early days of my administration,” Biden continued, adding, “She helped avert a national rail shutdown, improved access to good jobs free from discrimination through my Good Jobs Initiative, and is ensuring that the jobs we create in critical sectors like semiconductor manufacturing, broadband and health care are good-paying, stable and accessible jobs for all. 

“I look forward to continuing to work with Julie to build an economy that works for working people, and I respectfully ask the Senate to take up this nomination quickly so that we can finish the job for America’s workers,” he said.

Just 11 days ago, Biden announced he’d accepted Walsh’s resignation, calling him “one tough union chief.”

“His record at the Department of Labor is a testament to the power of putting a card-carrying union member in charge of fighting for American workers,” the president said. 

“Marty has gone to bat for working families every day, and with his help, this administration has helped workers recover from a historic economic downturn and launch a new era of worker power,” Biden added.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue

A+
a-
  • Department of Labor
  • Joe Biden
  • Julie Su
  • Labor Secretary
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Labor

    Amazon's Plans to Advance Its Interests in California Laid Bare in Leaked Memo

    NEW YORK (AP) — An internal Amazon memo has provided a stark look at the company’s carefully laid out plans... Read More

    NEW YORK (AP) — An internal Amazon memo has provided a stark look at the company’s carefully laid out plans to grow its influence in Southern California through a plethora of efforts that include burnishing its reputation through charity work and pushing back against “labor agitation”... Read More

    Hollywood Strikes Are Over. Here's When You Could See Your Favorite Stars and Shows

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Missed your favorite actors? After nearly four months of striking, they're coming back. Wednesday's deal between... Read More

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Missed your favorite actors? After nearly four months of striking, they're coming back. Wednesday's deal between striking actors and studios and streaming services won't immediately restore filming to its full swing. That will take months. But the tentative agreement — which both sides... Read More

    Autoworkers Reach Deal With Ford, a Breakthrough Toward Ending Strikes Against Automakers

    DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers union said Wednesday it has reached a tentative contract agreement with Ford that... Read More

    DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers union said Wednesday it has reached a tentative contract agreement with Ford that could be a breakthrough toward ending the nearly 6-week-old strikes against Detroit automakers. The four-year deal, which still has to be approved by 57,000 union members... Read More

    UAW Strikes at General Motors SUV Plant in Texas

    DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers union turned up the heat on General Motors as 5,000 workers walked off... Read More

    DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers union turned up the heat on General Motors as 5,000 workers walked off their jobs Tuesday at a highly profitable SUV factory in Arlington, Texas. The move comes just a day after the union went on strike at a Stellantis... Read More

    October 23, 2023
    by Tom Ramstack
    Labor Laws Dispute at Washington Airports Touches on States’ Rights for DC

    WASHINGTON — A dispute over whose labor laws should govern workplaces at the Washington area’s two major airports is spilling... Read More

    WASHINGTON — A dispute over whose labor laws should govern workplaces at the Washington area’s two major airports is spilling over into a debate on states’ rights for the District of Columbia. Virginia transportation officials say their state laws should control workplace safety. The District of... Read More

    Kaiser Permanente Reaches Tentative Deal With Health Care Worker Unions

    Unions representing 75,000 health care workers who recently held a strike against industry giant Kaiser Permanente over wages and staffing... Read More

    Unions representing 75,000 health care workers who recently held a strike against industry giant Kaiser Permanente over wages and staffing shortages have reached a tentative agreement with the company. The three-day strike last week involving 75,000 workers in multiple states officially ended last Saturday and workers returned to... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top