AANHPI advocates campaign for an Asian American Cabinet Secretary

Deputy Labor Secretary Julie Su may be up for a promotion.

With the pending departure of Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, AANHPI groups see an opportunity to fix a perceived oversight by placing one of their own onto President Joe Biden's Cabinet.

The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) threw their weight behind Julie A. Su to replace Walsh, who will be leaving the Cabinet to become head of the National Hockey League’s Players Association, according to WBUR.

Although Walsh hasn't confirmed his departure yet, that hasn't stopped CAPAC and other AANHPI advocates from lobbying for Su, who currently holds the No. 2 position in the Labor Dept.

“Deputy Secretary Su has dedicated her career to the promotion of workers’ rights and fair labor practices and to advancing equity and opportunities for all workers, including ones from historically underserved communities," states a CAPAC press release. "She would be a stellar, exceptionally qualified candidate to be Secretary of Labor and would deliver results for American workers and the Biden-Harris Administration immediately upon her confirmation."

Su was in the running to become Labor Secretary when Biden was forming his Cabinet but eventually Walsh, the former Boston mayor, got the job.

Walsh's appointment was the final Secretary-level position to be filled and AANHIPI leaders had hoped Su would get the position because there were no Asian Americans at the Secretary level on Biden's Cabinet.

To assuage the disappointment of Su's supporters, Biden created a new White house position to act as the President's liason to the AANHPI communities. Erika Moritsugu, who has a long history of working in several government positions in Washington, was appointed to that post.

Su, who has not said she would take the position even if it was offered, received more support with the endorsements of the influential Black Congressional Caucus and most labor leaders, garnered from the relationships she developed as California's Labor Secretary.

“It’s the first administration in 20 years without an [Asian American Pacific Islander] Cabinet secretary … This is the first chance they have to diversify the Cabinet,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth told Politico. “So I’m waiting to see. Hopefully they will nominate her or an AAPI.”

Duckworth and Sen. Mazie Hirono were so disappointed that Su was not appointed Labor Secretary in 2021 that they threatened to slow-walk Biden's appointments that need Senate approval.

Currently, there are three Asian Americans on Biden's Cabinet, Vice President Kamala Harris, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Arati Prabhakar, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. However, none of those posts have the prestige, power or high-profile given to a Secretary.

Some of Su's AANHPI supporters include the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Asian Pacific Insitute for Congressional Studies, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and Advancing Asian American Justice.

"If nominated and confirmed as Secretary of Labor, she would become an even greater asset to the Biden Administration and Department of Labor (DOL) at the helm," said Asian Americans Advancing Justice, where Su worked for 15 years. "Julie Su has been an indispensable leader within DOL, working in lockstep with Secretary Walsh to advance President Biden’s agenda for a more inclusive economy. Now, she is even more profoundly qualified and positioned to further deliver on labor, workforce, and employment goals set forth by the Biden Administration."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

AAPI cheer downfall of Trump's Labor Secretary nominee

Andrew Puzder's nomination for Labor Secretary brought out protests from his employees.

DONALD TRUMP'S pick to become Labor Secretary, Andrew Puzder, withdrew his name from nomination after a videotape of his ex-wife alleging domestic abuse surfaced.

Puzder, the CEO of the Hardee's and Carl's Jr. fast food chains, has seen his hearings delayed multiple times because he failed to fill out required financial and ethics forms, must overcome extremely damaging tapes alleging domestic abuse by his former wife, Lisa Fierstein.

Opposition from labor organizations should have been enough to question Puzder's qualifications, but his former wife's allegations may have been strong enough to sway some Republican senators to diverge from the party ranks. At least four of the Republican Senators were not going to vote for him, which would have denied him the Cabinet spot.

The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO (APALA) vehemently opposed the confirmation of Puzder.

“A millionaire whose appalling track record has demonstrated his opposition to overtime pay and increasing the minimum wage and whose companies also have a history of workers’ rights violations, Puzder has no place in leading an agency meant to protect the very workers his companies continue to exploit,” declared Johanna Puno Hester, APALA National President and Assistant Executive Director of the United Domestic Workers, AFSCME Local 3930.

“Not only has Puzder shown that he is unqualified to be Labor Secretary but also has he shown his blatant misogyny and pursuit of an anti-woman agenda," added Monica Thammarath, APALA 1st Vice President and National Education Association Senior Liaison. 

The allegations from Fierstein, Puzder's wife from 1973 to 1987, apparently were too much for the GOP to ignore. She appeared on Oprah Winfrey's show in March of 1990 in a segment about "High-Class Battered Women." On the show, Fierstein, in disguise as "Ann," describes alleged abuse by Puzder and its impact on her life. 

"I wound up losing everything, everything," Fierstein told Winfrey. "I have nothing. He has a Porsche and a Mercedes-Benz. He has the home. He has everything. He was an attorney and he knew how to play the system." She also claimed that Puzder told her: "I will see you in the gutter. This will never be over, you will pay for this." 

Since then, Fierstein has regretted her appearance on Winfrey's show and has retracted her allegations saying Puzder was a fine man and father but the video of her testimony was too damaging for his chances of winning Senate votes.

“Let Puzder’s withdrawal be an example of how powerful organizing can be," said Puno. "Puzder was only one nomination in a larger set of Cabinet picks who seriously threaten the lives and freedom of people of color, women, LGBTQ communities, and all other marginalized groups, we call on our members, co-conspirators, and allies to continue to resist, organize, and fight back against this administration that is intentionally targeting and attacking our diverse communities and working families nationwide.”

Asian/American lawmakers posted messages expressed a sigh of relief:

“Last month, I met several workers who were denied paid leave and were required to serve and prep food when they were sick while they worked for Andrew Puzder's fast food corporation” Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, said in a statement. “No one should be forced to choose between taking care of themselves or a sick family member and earning a paycheck they cannot afford to go without. It was a mistake to nominate someone like Mr. Puzder who has spent his career exploiting workers and racking up labor violations. I hope the President chooses someone more qualified to lead the Labor Department.”

Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/news/local/article133001054.html#storylink=cpy