Some rare good news!
Biden’s pick for Secretary of labor is Marty Walsh, strong union supporter and past union organizer. This could have a strong influence on the next contract.
“Walsh, a former union worker, has a long history with labor. He served as president of Laborers Local 223 and, before becoming mayor, headed up the Boston Building Trades — a union umbrella organization.”
See Biden’s comments below.
Marty understands, like I do, the middle class built this country, and unions built the middle class,” Biden said. “He sees how union workers have been holding this country together during this crisis, health care workers keeping our hospitals safe, clean, and effective — and efficient. Public service workers fighting against budget shortfalls to keep communities afloat. Port workers, car haulers, warehouse workers, folks keeping our air and rail systems running. They’re literally what’s keeping us going. They deserve a secretary of labor who knows how to build their power as workers.”
In his own remarks, Walsh said “the word labor means everything to me,” recalling his family’s immigration story from Galway to Dorchester, where his father joined the laborers’ union. In the midst of the pandemic, Walsh said he’d seen up close how workers face “impossible conditions.”