Secretary of Labor Expected to Resign

Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh is expected to resign to become head of the National Hockey League (NHL) Players' Association, according to news reports. 

When Walsh, former mayor of Boston, was selected as labor secretary, President Joe Biden's transition team said he would help "usher in a new era of worker power." Under Walsh's leadership, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a proposed rule on who is an independent contractor and has planned to release a new proposed overtime rule.

Walsh's departure would be the first cabinet secretary resignation of Biden's administration, reported CNN, which noted that Walsh has been a major player in labor negotiations during Biden's term.

As executive director of the NHL Players' Association, Walsh would head an organization that represents professional hockey players in Canada and the U.S., Bloomberg said.

Walsh is expected to earn approximately $3 million per year and live in Boston with no requirement to move to Toronto, where the association is headquartered, according to the Daily Faceoff. A formal executive board vote will follow in coming days, but the Daily Faceoff said this is a formality and Walsh is expected to be unanimously approved. 

"We appreciate Secretary Walsh's service and his willingness to sit down with SHRM to hear the concerns and priorities of the HR community," said SHRM Chief of Staff and Head of Public Affairs Emily M. Dickens. "It was an honor to welcome him to our Workplace Policy Conference and meet with him late last year at the Department of Labor. SHRM will continue engaging with his successor to see that federal regulations work for employers and employees alike."

An official announcement of Walsh's appointment with the NHL Players' Association could come before the end of the week, the Daily Faceoff predicted. Walsh is expected to wait until after the president's State of the Union address to resign.