Monday morning musings for workplace watchers.
Nom in Waiting | China Bill Pending
Paige Smith: Key leadership positions at the US Department of Labor are … still vacant. A common theme at the beginning of a new administration? Perhaps. But substantively, it means that President Joe Biden doesn’t have his ideal pro-worker team moving forward with his best interests in mind in a permanent, confirmed capacity on a day-to-day basis.
At least one of those roles could be filled this week with the Senate back in session. The upper chamber May 25 approved limiting debate on Lisa Gomez’s nomination to lead the Employee Benefits Security Administration, leaving a final confirmation vote as the final hurdle to be cleared.
Gomez’s road to EBSA is a textbook case illustrating the protracted slog nominees face between the moment they’re nominated and a final confirmation vote. First nominated last July, Gomez, a longtime employee benefits attorney at Cohen, Weiss and Simon LLP, has gone through two Senate labor panel markups, one re-nomination, and over a year of waiting time.
Gomez declined to comment on the timeline of events.
While her confirmation may at least be within reach, the same can’t be said for the top role at the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division. The vote for David Weil, Biden’s original pick for the top wage regulator position, tanked on the Senate floor in March. Biden still hasn’t named who will instead step into the role permanently; Labor Secretary Marty...
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