Businesses Join Chorus of Concern About DOL Chief Nomination

A pressure campaign from the business lobby to block Julie Su’s nomination to serve as Secretary of Labor is growing its ranks with trade groups that hadn’t yet weighed in on the nomination warning lawmakers about their concern with the White House pick.

Nearly three dozen business associations and trade groups including the National Retail Federation, the National Association of Home Builders, and the National Restaurant Association, penned a letter Thursday to the top lawmakers on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee warning that Su’s track record “raises legitimate questions about her ability to lead the U.S. Department of Labor.”

The business groups also said the committee should press Su during the confirmation process about how she plans to approach upcoming labor negotiations, such as the coming talks at the West Coast ports and between United Parcel Service Inc. and the Teamsters, which have the potential to negatively affect the national supply chain “without adequate leadership.”

“We urge the Committee to examine Ms. Su’s record and request that she fully detail her plans to address our nation’s challenges in a manner that advances our collective goals of reducing inflation, ensuring stable supply chains, and supporting economic opportunities for employers and employees alike,” the letter said.

Unlike her predecessor Marty Walsh, who was a union official at one point in his career, Su’s experience has largely been in state government, fueling questions about the approach she will take in upcoming high-stakes labor negotiations.

The latest letter from business groups comes after some organizations, namely the Chamber of Commerce, had decided to not yet make a public statement on the nomination despite others sounding alarms that Su would take a far stricter enforcement approach compared to Walsh.

Su is scheduled to appear before the Senate HELP committee for her confirmation hearing April 20.