Secretary of Labor

Secretary of Labor
U.S. Department of Labor · Public domain · source
Post	Secretary of Labor
Body	United States
Incumbent	Julie Su
Incumbentsince	2024
Department	United States Department of Labor
Style	Mr. Secretary
Member of	Cabinet of the United States
Reports to	President of the United States
Seat	Washington, D.C.
Appointer	President of the United States
Constituting instrument	United States Constitution
Formation	1913
Inaugural	William B. Wilson

Contents

Secretary of Labor

The Secretary of Labor is the head of the United States Department of Labor and a member of the Cabinet of the United States, charged with administration of federal statutes on wage standards, workplace safety, unemployment insurance, and labor statistics. The position interacts with the President of the United States, the United States Congress, federal agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and stakeholders including American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, Chamber of Commerce of the United States, and state labor departments. The office has influenced major legislation such as the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, and the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 through regulatory rulemaking and enforcement.

Role and responsibilities

The Secretary oversees administration of programs including Wagner-Peyser Act employment services, Unemployment Insurance systems linked to state agencies, enforcement of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, and implementation of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act grants, coordinating with agencies like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, and the Mine Safety and Health Administration. The Secretary advises the President of the United States and the United States Congress on labor market trends reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, workforce development initiatives tied to the Department of Education, and interagency responses involving the Department of Commerce and the Small Business Administration. The role negotiates with organized labor bodies such as the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Service Employees International Union, and employer groups including the National Association of Manufacturers and the Business Roundtable on policy, standards, and collective bargaining implications.

Created in 1913 during the administration of Woodrow Wilson by elevation of the Bureau of Labor to Cabinet status, the office followed precedents in Progressive Era reform linked to figures like Samuel Gompers and laws such as the Federal Employers Liability Act. Early secretaries like William B. Wilson and James J. Davis shaped labor policy during industrialization, while mid‑20th century holders including Frances Perkins—the first woman Cabinet member—oversaw New Deal programs such as the Social Security Act and responses to the Great Depression. Later Secretaries such as Robert Reich, Elaine Chao, and Hilda Solis navigated deindustrialization, globalization debates involving North American Free Trade Agreement, and post‑2008 recovery efforts affecting Affordable Care Act implementation and workforce retraining after the Great Recession.

The Secretary is nominated by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate pursuant to the Advice and Consent Clause of the United States Constitution, following precedent cases and Senate rules governing executive nominations. Succession protocols tie into executive orders and statutes addressing vacancies, with acting service sometimes filled by the Deputy Secretary or an Assistant Secretary such as seen in transitions involving Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. Confirmation hearings occur before the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and may involve testimony addressing compliance with statutes like the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and budgetary oversight from the House Committee on Education and Labor.

The Department of Labor comprises agencies reporting to the Secretary including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Employment and Training Administration, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, and the Mine Safety and Health Administration. The Secretary supervises deputies and assistant secretaries responsible for wage and hour enforcement, benefits enforcement under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and apprenticeship standards involving the Registered Apprenticeship system, coordinating with state labor agencies and interagency partners like the Department of Health and Human Services on worker safety and benefits. Administrative duties include budget proposals to the Office of Management and Budget, regulatory rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act, and participation in presidential task forces alongside members of the National Labor Relations Board and the Council of Economic Advisers.

Notable holders include Frances Perkins, who helped craft the Social Security Act; Robert Reich, an academic and advisor on labor market inequality during the Clinton administration; Elaine Chao, who later served as United States Secretary of Transportation; Hilda Solis, an advocate for wage enforcement and immigrant worker protections; and Alexis Herman, who managed labor relations during economic and event-driven crises. Others of note include William B. Wilson, James P. Mitchell, W. Willard Wirtz, Ray Marshall, Molly Yard‑adjacent advocates, and modern figures such as Thomas E. Perez and R. Alexander Acosta who faced controversies tied to enforcement and policy decisions.

Secretaries have advanced initiatives including enforcement of minimum wage standards under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, occupational safety regulations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, job training and workforce development under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and benefits protections under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. The office has influenced immigration‑related labor policies intersecting with the Immigration and Nationality Act, trade‑related labor adjustments during debates over NAFTA and USMCA, and responses to crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Outcomes of Secretary actions have been scrutinized by labor historians and policy analysts in contexts involving the Great Depression, World War II, the Great Recession, and ongoing debates over income inequality highlighted by commentators like Paul Krugman and institutions such as the Economic Policy Institute.

Category:United States Department of Labor