Julie Su Stoppers Turn Up the Pressure

The effort to make sure Julie Su does not become President Biden’s newest cabinet member is ramping up, with at least two opposition groups launching advertising campaigns this week.

Su, the former chief of California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency – which includes an Employment Development Department that lost nearly $40 billion to fraud under her watch – was tapped by Biden earlier this year to replace outgoing Department of Labor Secretary Marty Walsh.

The choice was immediately criticized as unconscionable, considering her mismanagement of the EDD, her deep ties to “Big Labor,” and her vociferous support of California’s freelance work-killing AB 5.

Tom Manzo, founder of the California Business and Industrial Alliance said the group will begin airing this ad in primetime in Montana Thursday:  

Montana is the home of Democratic Sen. Jon Tester – a moderate who is seen as a potential “No” vote on Su’s confirmation as secretary.  The ad, it is hoped, will increase public pressure on Tester – who has yet to officially indicate his vote – to oppose Su.

Su is currently the chief deputy secretary of the Labor Department but only got that position on a razor-thin, party-line vote Senate confirmation about two years ago.  If Su loses three Democrat votes, she will almost certainly not be the new Secretary (unlike with the recent the confirmation of Eric Garcetti as Ambassador to India, no Republican is expected to vote to confirm Su.)

“People are starting to recognize the failures of California and how difficult life is for small and medium-sized businesses here,” Manzo said.  “And Su has played a large role in that.”

Su, said Manzo, is part of an anti-business climate in the state, pointing to a number of seemingly nonsensical and trivial labor regulations, including (note – this is real and companies have been SUed for this) a requirement that business bathrooms be kept at a minimum temperature of 68 degrees at all times.

Manzo noted that the EDD’s fraud loss forced it to borrow billions from the federal government to cover unemployment benefit payouts, but if Su had done her job the state would not still owe the feds $19,047,400,306.22 in principal and $159,712,030.26 in interest.  That $19.2 billion dollars will be re-paid by a SUrtax of up to hundreds of dollars per year per employee on California businesses’ unemployment insurance programs premiums.

CABIA is not new to the effort to stop the inexplicable rise – the failing upward – of Su.  During her deputy secretary confirmation process two years ago the organization worked diligently against her.

“And that’s when the EDD loss was only supposed to be $11 billion,” Manzo wryly noted.  “Now there are four times the number of reasons she should not get the job.”

Separately from CABIA, the newly-formed Stand Against Su, a coalition of various business interests, – including the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, a trucking group that has lacerated Su for AB-5, which forced numerous independent truckers out of the state –  has also begun targeted ad campaigns in potential swing states.

They have placed newspaper ads in four states that have crucial “swing” senators –  Montana (Tester again,) Arizona (Kelly and Sinema,) Maine (Collins and King) and West Virginia (Manchin.)

Arizona ad available here.

Maine ad available here.

Montana ad available here.

West Virginia ad available here.

Su’s hearing in front of the senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee is expected to occur on April 20 with a full senate vote on her confirmation thereafter.