Biden taps Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as labor secretary

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is President-elect Joe Biden's pick for labor secretary, the presidential transition team announced late Thursday.

Mr. Walsh, who has served as Boston's mayor since 2014, has an extensive labor background, including leading the Boston Metropolitan District Building Trades Council from 2011-2013. He is also the current chairman of Climate Mayors, a bipartisan group of 470 mayors nationwide committed to fighting climate change.

In touting Mr. Walsh and other members of his economic and jobs team announced Thursday, Mr. Biden said in a statement that they "will help us emerge from the most inequitable economic and jobs crisis in modern history by building an economy where every American is in on the deal. They share my belief that the middle class built this country and that unions built the middle class."

The labor community welcomed Mr. Walsh's nomination.

Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, said in a statement that Mr. Walsh "will be an exceptional labor secretary for the same reason he was an outstanding mayor: he carried the tools. As a longtime union member, Walsh knows that collective bargaining is essential to building back better by combating inequality, beating COVID-19 and expanding opportunities for immigrants, women and people of color."

Mr. Walsh is the "exact right choice for labor secretary at this time in our country's history," said Sean McGarvey, president of the North America's Building Trades Unions, in a statement. "We are confident that Mayor Walsh will continue creating pathways of opportunities for anyone that wants a chance to succeed in America's workforce."

Massachusetts' two senators — Democrats Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey — also welcomed the move. Mr. Walsh is a "champion for American's labor unions and a fierce fighter for working families," Ms. Warren said in a tweet. "I am delighted that President-elect Biden has chosen Marty as our next (labor) secretary to make our government work for working people."

Mr. Biden was also reportedly considering Julie Su, secretary for the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, for the post. He faced calls from the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, among others, to nominate her.

Rhode Island Gov. Gina M. Raimondo was also announced Thursday as Mr. Biden's nominee for secretary of commerce. Ms. Raimondo previously served as the state's treasurer and in 2011 proposed a massive pension overhaul that created a hybrid plan, raised retirement ages and suspended cost-of-living increases for participants in the $8.5 billion Rhode Island Employees' Retirement System, Providence.