Four months after she was picked to be U.S. Labor Secretary and still with no clear path to confirmation, many lawmakers and organizations are calling for President Biden to pull Julie Su’s nomination.
In recent weeks, a group of 33 Republican senators and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association sent separate letters asking the president to move in a new direction. Additionally, such media outlets as the The Hill and The Orange County Register have published opinion articles in the past week that call for Biden to withdraw the nomination.
Su became U.S. deputy labor secretary in 2021 and has been serving as acting labor secretary since Marty Walsh resigned from the position in February. Before that, she was California’s labor commissioner.
Much of the opposition toward Su stems from her role in the implementation of California’s Assembly Bill 5 – a controversial law that makes it extremely difficult for a worker to be considered an independent contractor. The California Trucking Association says AB5 created many hurdles for truck drivers and has forced many to leave the state. OOIDA also is serving as an intervenor in a court battle against the law.
“In her capacity as the head of California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency, Ms. Su was the architect of a law that forced independent contractors in the state to reclassify themselves as W-2 employees, and she did not hesitate to express her willingness to enforce the law, threatening investigations and audits to the wage claim process for workers who did not comply,” stated the letter from 33 Republican senators, including Sen. Mike Braun, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, and Senate Republican Whip John Thune.
“Rather than allowing Ms. Su’s nomination to languish in the Senate, we believe you must find a more suitable candidate to lead the department – one with a record of improving working conditions for employees and respecting industry-specific classifications that benefits and protect American workers, like owner-operators and employee drivers,” OOIDA wrote. “To effectively lead the department, your next nominee must not only be capable of earning labor and industry backing, but also substantial bipartisan support among senators.”
Biden announced that he was going to nominate Su in late February. OOIDA quickly opposed the nomination with a letter to Senate offices on March 3.
Su’s confirmation hearing was April 20, but Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., still hasn’t brought her up for a vote. LL
