U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Marty Walsh will leave his Biden Administration cabinet post shortly to be named as the next Executive Director of the NHL Players’ Association, according to multiple media reports first surfacing Tuesday.
While the DOL has yet to make any announcement, online hockey publication The Daily Faceoff broke the news Tuesday that Walsh has been selected for the NHLPA job. Walsh had to wait until at least after last night’s State of the Union address from President Joe Biden to resign his post because he was the “designated survivor” during State of the Union address, becoming the first labor secretary in American history publicly known to have participated in the obscure ritual in order to maintain the line of presidential succession in the unlikely case of a mass-casualty event at the Capitol. One member of the president’s cabinet is chosen to remain absent from the State of the Union address to ensure continuity of government.
It remains unclear when Walsh’s exit date will be, but he will be the first cabinet secretary departure of Biden’s presidency. The 55-year-old Walsh was presented as the NHLPA search committee’s top choice for the job during an executive board meeting held in Miami last Friday.
Walsh will reportedly receive a large raise in taking the new position. He was paid a $235,600 annual salary as labor secretary, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management records, and The Daily Faceoff reported that Walsh will draw a salary of approximately $3 million as Executive Director of the NHLPA.
The Daily Faceoff also reported that Walsh initially turned down early feelers for the position, but that changed after President Biden did not select him to be his new chief of staff—instead opting for his former COVID response coordinator Jeff Zients to replace outgoing chief of staff Ron Klain.
Walsh, a former Massachusetts state representative, was elected mayor of Boston in 2014 and held that position until March 2021, when he was confirmed as labor secretary after President Biden tapped him in January 2021 to replace outgoing Trump pick Eugene Scalia. Walsh was confirmed by the Senate by a 68-29 vote.
Walsh would leave his cabinet post shortly after the DOL’s controversial new ESG rule went into effect, and with some pivotal regulations still in the works including a final rule redefining which workers qualify as independent contractors and a proposed rule, initially expected months ago, that would expand the number of workers eligible for overtime pay. The DOL’s final rule on ESG allows plan fiduciaries to incorporate ESG factors into their investment options but does not require them to do so.
Walsh’s departure would leave Deputy Labor Secretary Julie Su as the agency’s acting head. It remains to be seen whether President Biden will nominate Su, who oversaw the rollout of California’s divisive gig work law, for the permanent position.
SEE ALSO:
• DOL’s Walsh, Gomez Discuss New ESG Rule
• Coalition of 25 States Sue Biden Administration on ESG Final Rule
• Biden Picks Boston Mayor Walsh for Labor Secretary