Julie A. Su (born February 19, 1969) is an American attorney who has served as
United States deputy secretary of labor
The United States deputy secretary of labor is the second-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Labor. In the United States federal government, the deputy secretary oversees the day-to-day operation of the Department of Lab ...
since 2021. Before assuming that post, she was the California Labor Secretary, serving under Governor
Gavin Newsom
Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman who has been the 40th governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California f ...
,
and headed California's Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) under Governor
Jerry Brown
Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected Secretary of ...
.
Early life and education
Su was born in
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
to Chinese immigrants. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from
Stanford University and a
Juris Doctor from
Harvard Law School.
She started her legal career at Asian-Pacific American Legal Center. She was a Litigation Director for Advancing Justice L.A., a non-profit civil rights organization. She was the lead attorney for the
El Monte Thai Garment Slavery Case
On August 2, 1995, 72 Thai nationals were found working in conditions of slavery in a makeshift garment factory consisting of a row of residential duplexes in El Monte, California, just east of Los Angeles. This case is considered the first recogn ...
. As the lead for civil case brought by the El Monte garment workers, Su successfully pursued a legal theory that held manufacturers responsible for the wage theft, as well as the operators who actually kept the garment workers captive. She and other activists also petitioned for the workers to be able to stay in the United States under a visa program for those who cooperate with the government in criminal trials. This led to the creation of the T-Visa for victims of human trafficking.
Career
During
Jerry Brown's tenure as governor, Su headed California's Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE).
Under Governor
Gavin Newsom
Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman who has been the 40th governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California f ...
, Su served as Secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency.
Potential Labor Secretary Nomination
In November 2020, Su was named as a potential candidate to serve as
Secretary of Labor in the
Biden administration
Joe Biden's tenure as the 46th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 2021. Biden, a Democrat from Delaware who previously served as vice president under Barack Obama, took office following his victory ...
. Su's prospective candidacy was opposed by business groups and congressional Republicans, who referenced her leadership of California's unemployment agency during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, when millions of applicants had their claims delayed or frozen,
while up to $31 billion was sent to fraudulent claimants (including to criminals belonging to national and international crime rings and inmates in the state's prison system). Opposition also centered on her enforcement of California's controversial employment law,
AB 5.
Deputy Labor Secretary nomination
On February 10, 2021, Su was nominated by President Biden to be the
Deputy Secretary of Labor
The United States deputy secretary of labor is the second-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Labor. In the United States federal government, the deputy secretary oversees the day-to-day operation of the Department of Lab ...
under Secretary
Marty Walsh
Martin Joseph Walsh (born April 10, 1967) is an American politician and former union official. He has been the 29th United States Secretary of Labor since March 23, 2021. A Democrat, he previously served as the 54th mayor of Boston from 2014, ...
.
Asian-American leaders, including members of the
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) is a caucus consisting of members of the United States Congress who are Asian American and Pacific Islander ( AAPI), and who have a strong interest in advocating and promoting issues and ...
, had lobbied the Biden Administration to appoint her as Deputy Secretary after she wasn't chosen to lead the department.
The
Senate HELP Committee held hearings on Su's nomination on March 16, 2021. The committee favorably reported her nomination to the Senate floor on April 21, 2021. On July 13, 2021, Su was confirmed to the role by the Senate, in a 50–47 vote.
Awards
*
Skadden Fellowship
*2001
MacArthur Fellows Program
*1996
Reebok International Human Rights Award
Works
*"Making the Invisible Visible: The Garment Industry's Dirty Laundry" ''University of Iowa Journal on Gender, Race & Justice'' (winter 1997–1998)
* "Critical Coalitions," (with
Eric Yamamoto) ''Critical Race Theory: An Anthology''
* "Workers at the Crossfire: Immigration Enforcement to Preserve Capital," in ''Unfinished Liberation'' (Joy James, ed. Colorado University Press 1999)
* ''Social Justice: Professionals, Communities and Law'' (Martha Mahoney, John O. Calmore, Stephanie M. Wildman 2003).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Su, Julie A
1969 births
American politicians of Chinese descent
21st-century American women lawyers
Biden administration cabinet members
California lawyers
Harvard Law School alumni
Living people
MacArthur Fellows
Stanford University alumni
State cabinet secretaries of California
United States Deputy Secretaries of Labor
Wisconsin lawyers