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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee, released the following statement on the nomination of Department of Labor (DOL) Deputy Secretary Julie Su to replace Marty Walsh as Secretary of DOL. Cassidy previously voted against her deputy secretary nomination.

 

“Deputy Secretary Su has a troubling record and is currently overseeing the Department of Labor’s development of anti-worker regulations that will dismantle the gig economy. This does not inspire confidence in her ability to hold her current position, let alone be promoted,” said Dr. Cassidy. “The HELP Committee should have a full and thorough hearing process to evaluate Julie Su’s nomination.”

 

• In October of 2022, the Department of Labor issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to revise how it determines who is an independent contractor, a designation that allows workers to make their own hours and choose the type of work they want to do. If finalized, the new regulation would make it difficult for individuals who wish to keep flexibility in how, when and where they choose to work. The rule is expected to be finalized in May of 2023.
• As the former California Labor official, she lead the implementation of AB 5 that removed the flexibility of individuals to work as independent contractors. AB5 is so flawed, that California voters supported Prop 22 by a vote of nearly 59 percent to provide an exemption for rideshare drivers. A legal challenge to Prop 22 currently awaits a court opinion in California.
• While overseeing the California unemployment insurance office, the program paid out at least $32 billion in fraudulent unemployment compensation benefits. Some of the money went to incarcerated individuals.