Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., says that truck drivers who do not want to see California’s AB5 taken nationally should tell their senators to oppose Julie Su’s nomination to lead the U.S. Department of Labor.
Speaking with Land Line Now’s Scott Thompson, Kiley spoke out against his state’s controversial worker classification law and the role Su played in its rollout. He said that alone is enough reason to keep her from becoming the nation’s next labor secretary.
Su became deputy labor secretary in July 2021 after narrowly passing confirmation with a 50-47 vote. Before that, Su served as California’s labor commissioner during the implementation of AB5, which makes it extremely difficult for a worker to be considered an independent contractor. In trucking alone, the law has led to truck drivers leaving the industry or moving out of state. Last week, independent truck drivers protested in downtown Los Angeles over the law.
In February, Biden announced he was nominating Su to become the next leader of the Department of Labor, replacing Marty Walsh.
Although Kiley is in the House of Representatives and will not have a vote on Su’s confirmation, he has been busy making his opposition known. OOIDA also opposes Su’s nomination because of her association with AB5.
“We just need to continue to make the case about what she’s done in California, what a disaster it’s been for our state, and what the impact would be if she were to take those policies national,” Kiley said.
“You can reach out to your senator and you can make it very clear that you do not want to see Julie Su confirmed as secretary of labor and that we need a secretary of labor who understands how important truckers are to our economy and how important the owner-operator model is to trucking.”
On June 7, Su testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce to discuss the department’s 2024 budget. However, the Labor Department nominee also faced several questions about her connection to California’s AB5.
Su said during the hearing she would not pursue an AB5 model on the national level if confirmed as labor secretary.
However, Su also wouldn’t directly answer Kiley when asked if she believed AB5 was a good law.
As of now, Su’s chances of confirmation appear murky at best.
“I think that right now that we have a very good chance to stop it,” Kiley said. “They’ve been trying to corral for the votes for this nomination for a long time now and have not been successful in doing so.” LL
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