Power At Work Blogcast #16: A State Labor Secretaries Roundtable

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

June 13, 2023
Alexandra Anderson

Watch Burnes Center for Social Change senior fellow Seth Harris in conversation with Portia Wu, Secretary of Labor for the state of Maryland, Laura Fortman, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Labor, and Robert Asaro-Angelo, Commissioner at New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, as they discuss the the role and responsibilities of a labor secretary, the big successes and challenges in each state, and much more.

Secretary Wu has been serving as the Secretary of Labor for the state of Maryland since early 2023. Previously, she was Managing Director of of U.S. Public Policy at Microsoft. Before joining Microsoft, Wu served as Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training at the United States Department of Labor, overseeing federal programs that provided job training and employment services. From 2011 to 2014, she served at the White House Domestic Policy Council as Special Assistant and Senior Policy Advisor to President Barack Obama for Labor and Workforce.

Commissioner Fortman has over 20 years of experience in public policy and advocacy for the Department of Labor. Prior to being confirmed to serve as Commissioner of the Maine Department of Labor in 2019, Fortman was Deputy Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division at the United States Department of Labor from 2013 to 2017, and held her same role as Commissioner of the Maine Department of Labor under Governor John Baldacci from 2003 through 2010.

Commissioner Asaro-Angelo was appointed as Commissioner at New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development in 2018. Before serving in this role, Asaro-Angelo worked for the Laborers International Union of North America (LiUNA), AFSCME and 1199SEIU. He also served as executive director of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee in 2008 during the Bush Obama transition.

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Biden’s Nominee for Secretary of Labor Wants ‘Wage Theft’ Cops

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

SEAN HIGGINS | 4.20.2023 8:00 AM

California’s experience combatting wage theft has been a headache for employers without much in the way of restitution for workers.

Julie Su wants to be the nation’s top cop on wage theft, and she means that quite literally.

Su, President Joe Biden’s nominee to be the Secretary of Labor, believes that allegations of not paying workers what they are due are so serious that the accused—business owners—should be put in handcuffs.

As the head of the California Labor Department under Gov. Gavin Newsom, Su created the state agency’s first-ever criminal investigations unit. Su vowed that the unit would go after those “who underpay, underbid and under-report in violation of the law.” And the wage theft police were born.

“When we first implemented the unit, newspaper headlines warned of armed Labor Commissioner deputies coming to get employers in California and arrest them for crimes. And, well, we are!” Su boasted in a 2015 lecture. “We have filed over a dozen felony wage-theft cases with district attorneys across the state and we have had employers arrested and thrown in jail for the wage theft they committed.”

 

Labor Secretary to Start Building Apprenticeship Task Force

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

Jul 25, 2017
Thomasnet.com

The U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta has opened up nominations for the Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion. According to a recent news release from the Department of Labor, creating the task force is the first step in implementing President Donald Trump’s executive order to expand apprenticeships.

In June, President Trump said that apprenticeships could help fill millions of open jobs, however he was reticent to dedicate additional taxpayer money to the program.
According to the Department of Labor (DoL), the current number of active apprenticeships in the United States is 505,371.

In March, Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff challenged the president to create five million apprenticeships over the next five years. President Trump accepted the challenge, and his proposed budget includes a $5 million increase ($95 million overall) in spending appropriated for apprenticeships.

Secretary Acosta will chair the task force, which has been charged with identifying ways to promote apprenticeships, particularly in sectors where apprenticeship programs are currently insufficient.

The task force will create a final report for President Trump that will include:
  • Recommendations on federal initiatives to promote apprenticeships.
  • Administrative and legislative reforms that will facilitate the formation and success of apprenticeship programs.
  • The most effective strategies for creating industry-recognized apprenticeships.
  • The most effective strategies for amplifying and encouraging private-sector initiatives to promote apprenticeships.

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