Acting U.S. Labor Secretary pledges to enforce federal labor laws in Mississippi
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Dozens of local and state labor union organizers, workers and other interested individuals gathered Wednesday afternoon at Jackson’s Smith Robertson Museum to attend what was billed as a round table discussion with Acting United States Department of Labor Secretary Julie A. Su.
Su was introduced by retired state Rep. Jim Evans of Jackson who thanked the secretary for coming to Mississippi and said the state too often is viewed as “last in everything good and first in everything bad” when it comes to workers’ rights and wages.
“Thank you for speaking truth to power,” Su responded to Evans’ remarks. “We believe, and President Biden believes, that everybody should have a good job, live their lives with freedom, have dignity, and be able to lift up their communities.”
A graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School, before joining the federal government Su was California State Labor Commissioner under Gov. Jerry Brown, then California Secretary of Labor under Gov. Gavin Newsom. During that time, she became well-known in labor law circles for representing dozens of illegally trafficked garment workers in a civil suit.
Su became Acting Secretary of Labor on March 11, 2023, but her nomination by Biden to become the permanent secretary has subsequently been stalled by Senate Republicans who view her policies as anti-business.
On Wednesday, Su made no apologies for supporting worker rights including the right to collective bargaining.
“When workers do well, everybody does better,” she said.
The acting secretary said that right-to-work laws, which serve to limit union organizing, “are rooted in racism,” and that states having those laws (including Mississippi) are proven to have “the lowest wages, the highest number of fatalities and the fewest benefits.”
She specifically pointed to the 2023 death of 16-year-old Duvan Perez who lost his life working in a Hattiesburg meat processing facility as a fully preventable tragedy. “There is no excuse for that,” Su said.
She said workers everywhere want to be protected from arbitrary firings and to have decent benefits.
“Why would anyone not want those things in their communities?” she said.
The answer, she said, “is about power — fear of worker power.” She said large corporations often try to instill fear in workers who are afraid they will lose their jobs if they form unions.
To combat that fear, Su said, “Our message today is ‘not anymore.’ We believe every worker should be able to thrive and I hope you feel that President Biden and this administration has your back.”
The secretary acknowledged, however, “We still have a lot of work to do. We are a long way from where we want to be. But let’s not give in to despair. Let us believe we can make things better.”
Su was joined at the table by nine different Mississippi workers and union officials who each were allowed to share their individual concerns with the secretary:
LaKeisha Preston, a worker at MAXIMUS, a call center contracted by the federal government to handle health insurance and Medicare inquiries, spoke of layoffs without warning and losing her pay for two weeks due to medical issues.
Johnny Byrd, representing the Mississippi Alliance of State Employees/CWA, spoke of the group’s efforts to insure state workers “have a seat at the table and a voice to be heard.”
Morris Mack, a Nissan employee, spoke of his concerns that the company tries to quell union organizing.
Frank Figgers, representing One Voice Inc., a nonprofit focused on voting rights and education, spoke of Mississippi’s “addiction to free labor” dating to the 1890 Constitution.
Erica Jones, president of the Mississippi Association of Educators, described Mississippi teachers as “some of the lowest paid in the United States” and said that support staff, including bus drivers and cafeteria workers, often must have “two or three jobs just to make ends meet.”
Ebony Rice, president of the Jackson Federation of Teachers, echoed many of Jones’ remarks and challenged educators to “replace fear with togetherness” in their efforts to secure livable wages.
Brian McMurray, representing the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, touted the efforts of his union in providing apprenticeship programs for young workers, allowing them to learn a valuable trade while earning fair wages.
Lorena Quarez, representing the Immigrant Alliance for Justice and Equity, spoke of her own mother having to work 12-hour days and described her work as an advocate of immigrant workers in Mississippi as a deeply personal calling.
Shambe Jones, representing Cooperation Jackson spoke of efforts to create cooperatives in lower-income communities to meet the needs of residents.
Though not a member of the panel, Mississippi AFL-CIO President Robert Shaffer was also allowed to address the secretary. Shaffer said one problem in Mississippi is not so much the lack of federal dollars, but rather that so many of the dollars “get stolen.”
He pointed to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families scandal where tens of millions of welfare dollars from 2016 to 2019 were misappropriated under the Human Services Department, and suggested the federal government needs to do a better job of holding state officials accountable.
Su thanked the participants for sharing their views and concerns.
“I have been wanting to come to Mississippi for some time,” she said.
Su pledged that federal labor laws would be enforced vigorously moving forward in all states under her leadership.
In addition to Wednesday’s panel meeting, Su also visited with a groups of poultry factory workers and restaurant employees as part of her visit to the state.
