Labor Secretary Marty Walsh confirmed expectations that he will leave the Biden Administration for the private sector. Walsh will join the NHL Players Association (NHLPA) as its executive director. In a sign of the times, he took to Twitter on Thursday to elaborate on his decision. 
“Earlier this week I met with @POTUS, and he accepted that my time as Labor Secretary will conclude mid-March,” he said as part of a six-part thread. “As a second-generation card-carrying union member, serving as your Secretary of Labor in the most pro-worker administration in our history is an immense privilege.”
Claiming to be “forever grateful” for the faith the president placed in him, he called the administration’s leadership “steady, transformative and historic on behalf of working people everywhere.”
“We have been there for workers through a global pandemic and historic recovery,” he added. “We empowered workers to organize and strengthened protections workers depend on. My life has been defined by second chances, and our work delivered second chances to millions of people.”
Walsh also signaled support for Deputy Secretary Julie Su, his rumored, if controversial, possible replacement. Seven Congressional Republicans representing California sent a letter to Biden arguing against her confirmation, accusing Su of incompetence during her time as California’s labor secretary.
“I would be remiss if I did not also acknowledge the exceptional work and support of my partner in this endeavor, Deputy Secretary Julie Su. With the kind of leadership assembled across @USDOL, I am confident there will be continuity, and the work will be sustained.”
Martin J. Walsh was sworn in as the 29th Secretary of Labor on March 23, 2021. In 1997, he was elected as a State Representative in Massachusetts. After following his father into Laborers Local 223 in Boston, he rose to head the Building and Construction Trades Council from 2011 to 2013. Walsh then spent seven years as the Mayor of the City of Boston before joining the Biden cabinet.
“I leave @USDOL with a deeper understanding of why working people are the heart and soul and strength of our nation. I believe in the promise and resilience of our nation now more than ever,” he concluded. “Thank you for everything.”
