‘Hard to ignore Julie Su’: Biden’s labor secretary pick fights for confirmation

Supporters fear Su, the deputy labor secretary, might have a hard time getting the needed Senate votes as some business groups oppose her nomination

Julie Su has come a long way since she first made headlines in 1995 when she, then just 26 years old, was lead lawyer for 72 Thai workers who were essentially kept in slavery, toiling 18 hours a day at a sweatshop just outside Los Angeles.

Last week Joe Biden nominated Su to be secretary of labor, the government's top labor position, a move that many labor, immigrant and women's groups vigorously cheered, while a few business groups - but not many - opposed the nomination. Now some supporters fear that she might have a hard time mustering the needed votes in the Senate to be confirmed.