Biden finally nominates Julie Su to Department of Labor No. 2 post

YOUTUBE

JULIE SU

It took longer than expected but President Biden finally recommended Julie Su for a top post in the Labor Department.

Su's nomination for the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Labor comes after an intense lobbying effort by the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities that failed in its goal to get an AAPI to head one of Biden's Cabinet positions.

In their desire to have at least one AAPI named as a Cabinet Secretary, AAPI politicians, community leaders and advocacy organizations pushed  Biden to name Su as Labor Secretary. Ultimately, Biden picked long-time friend, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, was backed by the AFL-CIO. As a result, for the first time in 20 years, there is no AAPI serving the President as a Secretary of a federal agency. 

Su, the daughter of Chinese immigrants and a longtime advocate for low-wage workers, is currently Secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, but is not well known nationally, ie. veterans of Washington DC circles.

“With a leader like Julie at the helm — a tireless fighter for working Americans and a voice for the voiceless — the U.S. Department of Labor will play a central role in guiding us through recovery toward becoming a safer, more equitable and more prosperous nation,” Newsom said in a statement.

Rumors of her selection for the No. 2 spot in the Labor Department have been circulating for weeks but was delayed for an unknown reason giving rise to the fear that the Biden team had reservations about Su.

Her nomination was met with relief by her supporters. 

Before becoming Gov. Gavin Newsom's Labor Secretary, she served as a Labor Commissioner because of her work with Asian Americans Advancing Justice-LA.

The case that got her noticed, was Bureerong v. Uvawas, where Su led a legal team that filed a lawsuit on behalf of 102 garment workers who had been exploited, most of whom had actually been enslaved, by sweatshop operators. The suit challenged the sweatshop operators, as well as the retailers and manufacturers that profited from their labor. 

This was the first federal lawsuit of its kind, not only setting the precedent in holding manufacturers and retailers accountable for the conditions in which their clothes are made, but leading to new federal laws protecting immigrants who are trafficking into the country. 

In May 1999, the case ended after a final settlement was reached – total settlements from more than 10 manufacturers and private label retailers exceeded $4 million.

“We are immensely proud of Julie Su whose work at Advancing Justice-LA on the Thai Garment Workers’ Case in 1995 led to profound changes in labor laws and immigration laws that define responsible working conditions and protect victims of human trafficking throughout the U.S.," said Connie Chung Joe, CEO of the legal advocacy coalition.

As the DOL's Deputy Secretary, Su will oversee the day-to-day operations of the agency, a position that will inherit a job market and economy ravaged by the pandemic.

With Walsh at the head, the department will have a strong ties with organized labor, strengthen the push for a $15 per hour minimum wage, provide safer working conditions and make it easier for worker to organize.

Su is known for pioneering a multi-strategy approach that combines successful impact litigation with multiracial organizing, community education, policy reform, coalition building, and media work.

Su's nomination is also aimed at appeasing the AAPI communities who felt they were overlooked by Biden and his transition team, despite the communities' historic get out the vote effort that helped swing key stats for Biden.

"America is better off when those with a seat at the table making the decisions look like America," said Rep. Judy Chu, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. "It is a win-win for both the Biden administration and the AAPI community."