Senator Warren Introduces Boston Mayor Marty Walsh at His Nomination Hearing for Labor Secretary
"As a longtime union leader, Marty knows what it's like to fight for fair pay, meaningful benefits, and safe conditions in your workplace."
Washington, DC - At today's Senate Health, Education, Pensions, and Labor Committee hearing, United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) introduced Marty Walsh, Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, at his nomination hearing to be Secretary of the Department of Labor.
As Mayor, Walsh fought for a $15 minimum wage and paid sick and family leave, and he prioritized racial and gender equity, creating an Office of Women's Advancement and an Office of Diversity to address disparities in pay, leadership, and opportunity. Walsh also established a new cabinet-level position for a Chief of Equity to center equity and inclusive opportunity throughout all city policy.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Walsh's administration worked to get PPE to frontline workers and set up a field hospital in Boston's convention center, provided emergency childcare to first responders and healthcare workers, and worked to create the Boston Resiliency Fund to meet the needs of hard-pressed communities, including programs to hire laid-off workers.
Transcript:
U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Pensions, and Labor
Thursday, February 4, 2021
Senator Warren: Thank you very much, Chairwoman Murray and Ranking Member Burr. And welcome, Marty and Lorrie.
I am here to introduce Marty Walsh, the mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, who has been nominated to be our next Secretary of the Department of Labor. And I am really happy to be here. After four years of a Trump Labor Department that did its best to undermine workers, Marty will be a Secretary of Labor who actually supports labor.
Marty grew up in a hard-working family in Dorchester, Massachusetts. His mom and dad immigrated from Ireland and worked hard in America to give their children more opportunities. His family's story tells of a deep-seated commitment to building opportunity for the next generation. It is one of the many reasons that I trust Marty to look out for everyone looking for a good job, a decent wage, and a chance for their kids and their grandkids to succeed.
Marty's dad worked in the building trades, and Marty followed him into this work as a member of Laborers' Local Union 223. Marty was smart, creative and relentless, and his fellow workers eventually elected him their union president. He later served as head of the Boston Building and Construction Trades Council, representing tens of thousands of workers in the region. And then on to the state legislature and eventually Mayor of Boston.
I trust Marty to look out for America's working men and women because he has a strong record of having done exactly that.
As Mayor, he fought for a $15 an hour minimum wage and paid sick and family leave. He prioritized racial and gender equity, creating an Office of Women's Advancement and an Office of Diversity to address disparities in pay, in leadership, and in opportunity. And he established a new cabinet-level position for a Chief of Equity to center equity and inclusive opportunity throughout all of city policy.
Marty's response to the COVID-19 pandemic exemplifies his leadership. His administration worked to get PPE to frontline workers and to set up a field hospital in Boston's convention center. But Marty didn't stop there. He provided emergency childcare to first responders and healthcare workers, and he worked to create the Boston Resiliency Fund to meet the needs of hard-pressed communities, including programs to hire laid-off workers.
Given his record on fighting for workers, it's not surprising that Marty's nomination has earned the support of so many unions and worker organizations.
As a longtime union leader, Marty knows what it's like to fight for fair pay, meaningful benefits, and safe conditions in your workplace.
And I say this as someone who has worked with Marty for years: Deep down he is a good man who believes that government can-and should-serve the people. And he lives by that belief every day.
Welcome, Mayor Walsh, we are pleased to have you here and I look forward to your nomination and your service to our nation.
###
Next Article Previous Article
