Issued February 17, 2023
WASHINGTON - Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President Mary Kay Henry issued the following statement today:
“Throughout her career as a civil rights lawyer, as California’s Secretary of Labor, and as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor, Julie Su has been a highly effective advocate for workers all across the economy—she is made for this moment. She has consistently backed workers demanding a voice on the job and the right to join unions. She understands the urgency of empowering workers to improve their lives in this rapidly changing economy.
Again and again, Su has shown that she knows how to use the levers of government to protect and expand the rights of working people, particularly low-wage workers, immigrants and women of color who have been written out of our nation’s labor laws. Anti-union critics have attacked her in the media because they see how effective she’s been at taking on union-busting corporations.
Su has championed policies that have made workplaces safer, won hundreds of millions for workers in unpaid wages, and advanced justice for immigrants. A landmark case she won on behalf of garment workers spurred nationwide reforms to end sweatshops and protect the victims of human trafficking. When I chaired Gov. Newsom’s Future of Work Commission in California, I was impressed with how she engaged with corporate leaders and other stakeholders to develop a shared vision to bridge inequality by creating quality jobs and empowering workers to exercise their voice and join together in unions.
A graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School, Su has had an impressive career as a civil rights lawyer and public servant. As a proud Asian American woman and daughter of immigrant parents, she represents the future of the American workforce, which is increasingly made up of women and workers of color.
Julie Su can hit the ground running to continue to protect American workers in the top job—she has been through a U.S. Senate confirmation already and knows the Department of Labor inside and out. Nominating Julie Su as our next Secretary of Labor would be an important step towards President Biden’s goal of building an inclusive economy that works for all of us, not just big corporations.”