President Biden has renominated Julie Su for the position of U.S. Secretary of Labor, despite opposition from a leading Democrat due to her "progressive" past. Su is the former California Labor Secretary.
According to The Hill, President Biden's decision to renominate Julie Su comes after her initial nomination faced months of Senate delays in 2023. She was first nominated in February 2023, but Democratic Senators, including Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), delayed her confirmation process until June 2023. The renewed nomination was sent to the Senate on January 8, 2024.
In a statement released by his office in 2023, Manchin said, "I believe the person leading the U.S. Department of Labor should have the experience to collaboratively lead both labor and industry to forge compromises acceptable to both parties. While her credentials and qualifications are impressive, I have genuine concerns that Julie Su’s more progressive background prevents her from doing this and for that reason I cannot support her nomination to serve as Secretary of Labor."
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) Editorial Board notes that Su has a record of prioritizing union interests over individual workers. During her tenure as California's labor secretary, she played a pivotal role in implementing the AB5 law which reclassified independent contractors as employees. Initially targeting gig workers like Uber drivers, this law affected various industries and led to statewide investigations and audits for compliance. The Editorial Board also expressed concerns about Su's advocacy against the franchise industry, support for the Fast Act, opposition to the tip credit, and questions about competence following $30 billion in fraudulent jobless-benefit payments issued in California during the pandemic.
Federal Newswire reported in December that Su is leading a case against a staffing company based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Department of Labor is attempting to subpoena Forge’s client list while Forge maintains they have lost millions of dollars and clients due to false impressions from a New York Times article about the investigation. Forge asserts that it has been fully cooperative, providing employee details and setting up interviews but is protesting the subpoena for lacking specificity and failing to articulate any concrete suspicions or violations. The company contends that the accusations against its operations are solely based on statements from a former employee and remain unsubstantiated.
Following Su’s renomination, the New York Post reported that her 281-day delay is one of the longest for any nominated cabinet official. It also noted that she struggled to win votes from President Biden’s own party in the Senate. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) said, "It is clear Ms. Su lacks the necessary votes for confirmation," and urged Biden to nominate someone who "is capable of being confirmed in the Senate."
