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.
An official announcement of Walsh’s appointment could come before the end of the week, it predicted. Walsh is expected to wait until after the president’s State of the Union address to resign.
