President Joe Biden nominated Julie Su to serve as the administration’s new labor secretary Monday.
Biden said Feb. 17 that former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh would be stepping down amid reports he would be departing to lead the NHL Players’ Association. (RELATED: Biden Announces Resignation Of Labor Secretary Marty Walsh)
“It is my honor to nominate Julie Su to be our country’s next Secretary of Labor. 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. 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,” Biden said in a statement.
Su worked alongside Walsh as deputy labor secretary since July 2021.
LAPLACE, LOUISIANA – FEBRUARY 07: Deputy Secretary of Labor Julie Su (L) speaks to Resilience Force Workers at Galilean Lutheran Church on February 07, 2022 in LaPlace, Louisiana. (Photo by Josh Brasted/Getty Images for Resilience Force)
She previously served as the labor secretary of California and as the labor commissioner of California. She attended Stanford and Harvard Law.
“Julie is a champion for workers, and she has been a critical partner to Secretary Walsh since the early days of my Administration. 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 healthcare are good-paying, stable and accessible jobs for all,” Biden continued in his statement.
“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 added.