Labor Pick Walsh Championed Worker Safety as Boston Mayor

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, President-elect Joe Biden‘s pick for labor secretary, has made worker safety a priority since taking office in 2014, a track record that could help him boost the Labor Department’s pandemic response.

The two-term Democratic mayor’s familiarity with a range of safety concerns—from Covid-19 risks to construction trench hazards—as well as his background in organized labor could translate into his giving the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration a greater role in combating the public health emergency.

Worker advocates have blasted the agency’s pandemic response under the stewardship of Trump appointee Eugene Scalia, ...