If at first you don't succeed...
The Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee in a closed door meeting Tuesday again sent Julie Su’s nomination as U.S. Secretary of Labor to the Senate for confirmation, despite her confirmation last year stalling out for a year. President Joe Biden in January renominated Julie Su to serve as U.S. labor secretary, but there's seemingly little hope that her confirmation will advance this time as well.
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Su has served as DOL Acting Secretary since March 2023 and was nominated in February 2023 by President Biden to assume the role of Secretary. Su's nomination last year was unpopular among trucking stakeholders – namely with Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), American Trucking Associations (ATA) and the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) – mostly due to her role in passing California's AB 5 independent contractor legislation as California's labor commissioner, then as secretary for the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency.
"As we’ve communicated to the White House and the U.S. Senate since her nomination was first announced, Julie Su’s record of opposition to independent truckers in California should not be rewarded with a promotion," said Todd Spencer, OOIDA president.
Her re-nomination last month was equally unpopular, as it came on the heals of trucking reforms that will see overhauls made to the owner operator business model.
"No matter how many times she’s renominated, Julie Su’s record remains a huge red flag for our industry and any senator concerned about radical policies from California becoming federal law," said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. "The independent contractor rule she just finalized as acting secretary undermines the livelihoods of 350,000 professional truck drivers across our country who choose to run their own small businesses, and she needs to answer for it."
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Spear, too, chided the Senate labor panel for ramming through Su's nomination without a full hearing.
"A public hearing is warranted so that committee members can have the opportunity to question her on the impact of this destructive rule," he said. "We continue to oppose her nomination as she continues to avoid the tough questions to which we and the American people deserve answers.”
