Biden To Nominate Julie Su For Secretary of Labor

President Joe Biden announced Feb. 28 his nomination of Julie Su to serve as Secretary of the Department of Labor. Currently, Su is serving as the deputy labor secretary while labor secretary Marty Walsh is planning to leave his post in March.

“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,” Biden said in a press release.

“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.”

Su was the former labor secretary of California where she worked closely with unions and employers. She also spent 17 years as a civil rights lawyer. One of her most notable cases was representing 72 Thai garment workers who were trafficked into the US and forced to work behind bared wires and under armed guard.

“Throughout her career, Deputy Secretary Su has been a strong and effective champion for working people, fighting to combat wage theft, create jobs and ensure workers are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve,” said Senator Mazie Hirono.

“When confirmed, Deputy Secretary Su will be the first AAPI Cabinet-level Secretary in the Biden Administration, bringing critical diversity and lived experience to DOL and this Administration. President Biden has shown his continued confidence in Deputy Secretary Su and I look forward to voting to confirm her as quickly as possible so she can continue building on this Administration’s record of standing with working people and ensuring no community is left behind.”

Su is the daughter of Chinese immigrants. She is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School.