On March 23, 2021, I was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris as the 29th Secretary of Labor for the United States of America. As the son of immigrants from Ireland and as someone who started my career on a construction site as a union laborer, it was the dream of a lifetime.
Now, one year later, I’m in awe of how much we can accomplish when we come together in service to the working people of America. Our team at the Department of Labor – in partnership with workers, unions, employers, government leaders at every level and advocates on every issue – helped millions of workers during one of the toughest times in our history. We got people back to work safely and made tremendous strides forward in our goal of empowering all workers morning, noon and night. In my travels across the country I’ve seen how this work changes people’s lives, and I’ve seen how much more work is still to be done to build a truly equitable economy.
I am filled with optimism for what lies ahead, and eager to continue our work together. If we can get this much done in a year, I believe there’s no limit to what we can achieve for America’s workers moving forward.
