President Biden nominated lifelong champions of labor and workers’ rights last month to lead the Department of Labor (DOL): Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, a longtime union leader, for secretary of labor, and California Labor Secretary Julie Su for deputy secretary of labor. Their nominations come at a time of great need for bold leadership in the agency responsible for overseeing the recovery of the country’s economy and labor force, during a devastating period filled with the economic downfall and overwhelming loss of lives due to COVID-19 that began last year.

Why is this important?

If confirmed, Marty Walsh would become the first union leader to head the DOL in more than four decades. From the Boston Building and Construction Trades Council to the Massachusetts Statehouse to the mayor’s office, Walsh has been a fighter who understands the power of working people standing together for a better life.

The nomination of Julie Su to the role of deputy labor secretary is critical for working families across the nation. Su has decades of experience combating wage theft, tackling worker misclassification and abuses in the underground economy, investing in worker training and pathways to quality jobs for all workers, and leveling the playing field for businesses.

Showing strong support behind these nominations will be essential in making the confirmation of Walsh and Su as secretary of labor and deputy secretary of labor, respectively, a reality.