Walsh takes the reins of the agency at a moment when workplace issues are more central to the national political discussion than any other time in recent history.
The preferred candidate of many influential labor unions, he is the first labor secretary with a union background since the 1970s, a notable choice for a president who has vowed to be the most “pro-union president you’ve ever seen.” The son of Irish immigrants, Walsh dropped out of college and worked his way up through the ranks of Boston’s construction trade unions before becoming mayor of the city in 2014. (He later returned to school, receiving a bachelor’s degree from Boston College in his 40s). He had cancer as a child and sought treatment for alcoholism in his 20s.
Walsh sat down with The Washington Post for his first interview since being sworn in Tuesday. He talked about how systemic racism effects workers of color, about why gig companies may not be able to count on government support for their workers indefinitely and what the Biden administration can do to get women back in the labor force after a brutal year.
The interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Q: You have a unique backstory. What are some lessons you’ve learned about work over the years that you bring to your new position?
A: Aside from being a paperboy [for the Boston Globe], the first job that I got a check from was Dunkin’ Donuts in South Boston. That was in my early teens. The first job that had a real big impact on my life that I remember the best was I worked at a stationery store when I was in high school. And that job was really where I started to be curious about who I was and what I want to be like as I got older and working-wise.
Q: Tell me about your relationship with President Biden. In your conversations, what has he told you about your mission at the Labor Department?
A: My relationship to the president goes back quite a while. I met him when he was a United States senator, in Boston. I know that his priorities and my priorities are about the working people. Lots of conversations about the pandemic, lots of conversations about getting the economy back on track, getting workers protected, workers’ rights protected, and moving forward.
Q: Union popularity is at a 30-year high. Are unions important? And why do you think they have a bad rap in so many parts of the country?
A: I feel unions are important because they built the middle class, and they can preserve the middle class.
The reason why I got involved in labor was, quite honestly, my uncle was a business agent for the laborers union and he fought for his membership, he fought for jobs for them, helped provide them with health care and pensions at the time. [He] dealt with unemployment and how do you get more jobs for people.
People have different views and opinions of unions, but I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a bad rap. I…
Read More: Interview with Marty Walsh: Labor secretary talks about systemic racism,