Biden’s Labor Nominee Accused of Harming Uber, Lyft, Others in Senate Listening to
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden’s nominee for U.S. labor secretary, Julie Su, was attacked by Republican lawmakers as she testified earlier than a Senate panel on Thursday for allegedly dismantling the gig economic system and hurting corporations resembling Uber and DoorDash
Trade teams that symbolize such corporations using gig labor have launched an aggressive marketing campaign to oppose her nomination.
They fear that Su would push nationwide insurance policies much like California the place she supported legal guidelines that categorised some gig staff as staff, which supplies them advantages such at least wage, sick time and healthcare.
Su, a civil rights lawyer and former California labor commissioner, wants at the least 50 votes in a Senate the place Democrats have a slim 51-49 majority.
Republican Invoice Cassidy, the rating member on the Senate Well being, Training, Labor and Pensions Committee, stated Su’s document in her function in California enforced 85 “controversial legal guidelines that dismantled the gig economic system,” and damage “Uber, DoorDash and Lyft.”
He additionally accused her of eliminating impartial contracting throughout her tenure as Biden’s deputy secretary of labor.
When requested by Cassidy if Su would decide to not pushing California-type laws if nominated, Su answered, “sure.”
When requested if she would decide to not pursuing a joint employer rule – which might deal with corporations as so-called “joint employers” once they have oblique management over working circumstances resembling scheduling, hiring and firing – Su stated “there’s not a joint employer rule on our regulatory agenda.”
Su discovered unequivocal assist from a number of Democrats on the committee on Thursday however assist of all Democrats within the Senate is just not a given. Essential senators in Montana, West Virginia and Arizona, who voted for Su to grow to be deputy labor secretary in 2021, are on the fence about her affirmation for the highest job.
“The talk over Ms. Su has nothing to do together with her {qualifications} … this debate has the whole lot to do with the truth that Julie Su is a champion of the working class of this nation who will arise in opposition to the forces of company greed,” stated Bernie Sanders, who chairs the committee.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Enhancing by Chris Sanders and Jonathan Oatis)
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