Labor Secretary Marty Walsh is expected to step down sometime this or next month to lead the National Hockey League’s players union, according to two people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a matter that has not been publicly announced.
Walsh has served as Biden’s top labor official since the beginning of the administration and played a key role in its attempts to support unionization efforts across the country. His departure and new role with the NHL Players’ Association was first reported by the Daily Faceoff.
The Biden administration is reshuffling top personnel in the aftermath of the 2022 midterm elections, with the previously announced departures of White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain and White House National Economic Council Director Brian Deese. It was not immediately clear who is expected to replace Walsh.
The labor secretary is set to leave the administration with a mixed record in attempting to execute President Biden’s vow to be the “most pro-union president in American history.”
Administration officials have touted low unemployment as bolstering American workers, but union density fell last year, and the administration faced controversy in its handling of a railroad strike that threatened to devastate the American economy.
Walsh is a former mayor of Boston who rose to prominence in the Boston area through the building-trades unions after dropping out of college early to work in construction. He also served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
— Lauren Kaori Gurley contributed to this report.