United States President Joe Biden on Tuesday named lawyer Julie Su as the new Secretary of Labor, replacing Marty Walsh, who is leaving the Administration to lead the professional hockey players’ union. .
Through a statement, Biden announced the appointment of Su, who until now served as an undersecretary in the same department and must be ratified by the Senate before taking office.
“She is a proven and experienced leader, who will continue to build a stronger, more resilient, and inclusive economy that gives Americans a fair return for their work and an equal chance to advance,” the president said.
The future secretary “has spent her life fighting to ensure that everyone has a fair chance, that no community is neglected and that no worker is left behind,” said Biden, who recalled that the official led the department for decades, the largest state yard in the country, California.
In this role, he cracked down on wage theft, fought to protect trafficked workers, raised the minimum wage, created high-quality, well-paying jobs, and established and enforced safety standards. at work, Biden said. .
As Walsh’s assistant secretary — a position she has held since being confirmed to the Senate in July 2021 — she helped prevent a nationwide rail shutdown and improved access to good jobs without discrimination through My Good Jobs Initiative. , added the president.
Su also practiced for 17 years as a civil rights lawyer representing workers in cases such as the 72 Thai garment workers who were trafficked to the United States and forced to work behind barbed wire and under armed guard.
Su is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School. She is the daughter of immigrants, speaks Mandarin and Spanish and has two daughters.
Ten days ago, Walsh himself announced that he had communicated to Biden his intention to step down in mid-March to be the new director of the National Hockey League Players Union Association.
He thus became the first cabinet secretary to leave the Biden administration.