[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 209 (Tuesday, December 19, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6035-S6036]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Confirmation of Julie A. Su

  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, as 2023 comes to a close, I rise to mark a 
year of historic progress for working people in our country.
  Since President Biden took office, we have created more than 14 
million jobs,

[[Page S6036]]

including 1.5 million jobs created in manufacturing, construction, and 
engineering. Meanwhile, unemployment has been under 4 percent for 22 
months in a row--the longest stretch in over 50 years. And, across the 
country, we are seeing the labor movement reclaim its strength.
  After decades of declining union membership, working people are 
coming together to demand their fair share of the economic success our 
country is experiencing--success they make possible. None of this is 
happening by accident. These victories are thanks, in large part, to 
the commitment of the Biden-Harris administration and, to give credit 
where credit is due, to the work of Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su.
  Since assuming the top role at the Labor Department earlier this 
year, Acting Secretary Su has played a critical role in supporting 
workers and finding consensus to move our economy forward. In June, 
just months after taking over the Department, she helped avert a 
potentially disastrous strike at ports all along the west coast. Had 
major ports come to a screeching halt, our country would have 
experienced massive supply chain disruptions, costing our economy 
billions of dollars. Such a shutdown would have been particularly 
chaotic for Hawaii, where the vast majority of our goods is shipped to 
the State.
  Gene Seroka, the director of the Port of Los Angeles, the busiest 
container port in the country, said Julie was ``a constant and 
reassuring voice of reason that has helped to keep both sides at the 
bargaining table and focused on resolution.''
  In October, Acting Secretary Su helped settle a labor dispute between 
Kaiser Permanente and nearly 75,000 of its union employees who staged 
the largest healthcare strike in our Nation's history. After weeks of 
bargaining, Kaiser and its employees had failed to reach an agreement, 
endangering the care they provided to millions of Americans across our 
country. At the invitation of both parties, Acting Secretary Su flew to 
California to sit at the bargaining table and encourage both sides to 
continue talking in good faith. To help bridge the gap between labor 
and management and keep the lines of communication open, Acting 
Secretary Su was regularly moving from room to room, serving as a 
critical liaison in the negotiations.
  With her help, Kaiser workers reached a historic deal that included a 
record 21-percent wage increase over 4 years. Both sides agreed she was 
critical to reaching a deal, with the union calling her support 
``instrumental'' and Kaiser's senior vice president of labor relations 
saying that Julie was ``able to get us to articulate where we have 
commonalities, not about a particular package, but about our interests 
in the employees, and in healthcare.''
  That is what Julie does. She helps people find common ground, setting 
workers, businesses, and our economy up for success.
  But, even after that historic success, many continue to doubt Acting 
Secretary Su's acumen, with one labor economist going so far as to 
question her skills as a mediator. Let's face it: It is not unusual for 
so-called experts to question the leadership qualities of women, with 
little evidence to substantiate their criticisms.
  In spite of her detractors, just weeks later, Julie Su helped mediate 
a truly historic deal between the United Auto Workers and the Big Three 
auto companies, resolving the most significant auto strike in modern 
American history. Like Kaiser workers, with Acting Secretary Su's 
support, autoworkers secured a transformational contract--a contract 
that will see UAW salaries rise more in the next 4 years than they have 
in the previous 20.
  Shawn Fain, the newly elected UAW president, showed his mettle in 
these negotiations as the country watched. Significantly, he, too, 
praised Julie Su's leadership, citing her work to build trust between 
labor and management and encouraging them to focus on their shared 
goals.
  In addition to these and many other settled labor disputes, Acting 
Secretary Su is leading major initiatives to make life better for 
working people in our country and grow the middle class--from expanding 
overtime protections to strengthening apprenticeships and work training 
programs and much more.
  Julie Su's work speaks for itself. She listens; she finds consensus; 
and she helps those around her stay the course for as long as it takes. 
What more could we ask of a Secretary of Labor?
  Still, there are those who question Julie's ability to do the job, 
either ignoring or willfully dismissing her track record of successes. 
To be blunt: Sexism, racism, and double standards applied to women of 
color are all too common in spite of their denials all around. Julie Su 
has been doing the job of the Secretary of Labor for months, and she 
has been doing it well. But still, some of our colleagues cling to 
baseless criticisms, insisting she is unfit to serve. It is unfair to 
Acting Secretary Su and to the millions of workers whose lives she has 
helped to improve. Like the committed public servant she is, Julie 
perseveres, focusing on the important work of her Department.

  Along with millions of working people all across our country, I am 
grateful for all she and the Biden-Harris administration have done for 
workers, businesses, and our economy. This administration and Acting 
Secretary Su understand that workers are the force that keeps our 
country moving forward. With their continued leadership, I look forward 
to more wins for workers and our economy in the years ahead.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Republican whip.