Posts tagged Nominee
Teamsters Back Trump’s OSHA Nominee, But Dissent Emerges
February 18, 2025 // “OSHA and the DOL, under the leadership of soon-to-be Secretary Chavez-DeRemer, will continue to benefit from leaders who started in the trades and understand the risks facing working Americans today and necessary reforms and opportunities to protect them,” the Teamsters said in a statement Friday. Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU), a grassroots rank-and-file movement of thousands of Teamsters members, did not share as glowing of an opinion as the wider union. “Teamsters know bosses rarely care about our safety. OSHA is already too weak and toothless,” the movement said. “Now more than ever, we need to fight for ourselves.”
Senate Recesses without Vote on Controversial NLRB Nominee
October 1, 2024 // The U.S. Senate left Washington, DC, on September 27 without having voted on the controversial nomination of Lauren McFerran to serve another term as Chair of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Employment Policy Network has posted several times on McFerran’s inappropriate nomination and tenure leading the NLRB, including the lack of a confirmation hearing on her nomination and a Wall Street Journal op-ed condemning McFerran’s legacy. McFerran’s tenure on the Board has included severe criticisms from federal courts, its own Office of the Inspector General, and Congress. Many of the most egregious condemnations are listed below.
Was This The Plan All Along?
July 26, 2023 // Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, asked the Biden Administration Thursday to withdraw the nomination and warned that “(A)ny attempts to bypass the will of Congress, especially its constitutionally mandated advice and consent role, is unacceptable.” Su was the deputy labor secretary until her predecessor, Marty Walsh, left to take over the NHL players union, triggering her acting secretary status. Typically, under a law called the Vacancies Act, Su, who was nominated about four months ago, would have a 210-day time limit – for her, that’s mid-October – to her “acting” term. However, the Labor department has its own “succession statute” which states that the deputy becomes the acting secretary automatically and shall “perform the duties of the Secretary until a successor is appointed…” The labor statue has no time limit – confusion aspect one. The second issue is that Su’s nomination is still technically “pending” before the Senate.
Say No to Julie Su as Labor Secretary
July 25, 2023 // She also established a Criminal Investigation Unit, consisting of a specialized labor police force that would be deputized against businesses.
‘Good for Nobody’: The Biden Cabinet Pick Who Can’t Even Get a Vote
June 23, 2023 // But Su, who has long been championed by progressives and labor unions, has attracted the ire of business groups and the right, where deep-pocketed groups are putting pressure on senators to reject her nomination. Given that Manchin, Sinema, and Tester could face difficult elections next year, that pressure could be very persuasive. For Biden, the stakes are high. He has made a case for himself as the most pro-organized labor president in generations, and the Department of Labor is a key cabinet post for advancing his policies. If Su’s nomination withers, it could be a blow to his labor agenda. Beyond that, a failure to confirm Su would certainly be a hit to the perception of Biden’s juice on Capitol Hill. In his presidency so far, he has only withdrawn one Cabinet-level nominee, Neera Tanden, his initial pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget. It would also likely pour some cold water on progressives’ ambitions to expand their influence at the high echelons of the Biden administration.
Secretive Su: Biden Admin Won’t Release Records of ‘Transparent’ Labor Secretary Nominee Julie Su
May 4, 2023 // Meanwhile, Su notably had zero meetings with business leaders as deputy labor secretary. It was Romney noting this fact last month that prompted Su to tout her "transparency." Su’s calendars also showcase her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. For example, she participated in a meeting about "equity in procurement"—to ensure that government contracts go to business owners who are not white or straight—and a panel about incorporating gender and race into workplace safety.