An open letter to Secretary of Labor Nominee, Mayor Marty Walsh

Dear Mayor Walsh,

I am writing to you as the daughter of a factory worker who benefited greatly from the protections provided by the union. I now spend my career working to ensure that every worker has dignity in work and access to a living wage.

It is a great opportunity for our country with you, Mayor Walsh, at the helm of the Department of Labor to carry on your lifelong commitment to put workers at the center with an explicit lens on racial equity. Knowing how committed you are to workers, I would like to offer some recommendations on how worker-centered policies can help create a more equitable future of work and shared prosperity.

As the newly nominated labor secretary, you are faced with one of the most daunting tasks of the new administration — getting Americans back to work. As has been glaringly clear over the last four years, policies need to not only shift towards centering on workers and their needs but must also recognize the disproportionate impact that exists for Black, Indigenous and Latinx communities. As labor secretary I hope you will approach all policy interventions with an equitable lens to create a Future of Work that works for everyone.

Just as you have been such a strong champion for unions and the labor movement, we trust that you…