This
is our official re-start on our Cabinet profile series.  We have
previously profiled Sen. Joe Biden (Sec. of State) and Sen. Chuck Hagel
(Sec. of Defense) individually.  We're changing the format of the
series, however, so consider this a reboot.  Each profile will offer a
short primer on the responsibilities of the office and how the current
appointee has approached those responsibilities.  We will then offer
brief profiles of the top two or three contenders for the post.  We'll
be posting new profiles every Tuesday and Thursday for the rest of the
summer, so mark your calenders and tell your friends.  We intend to
create the most detailed look at the cabinet positions and their
potential candidates available in one location.

Overview:  The Secretary of Labor is considered one of the top cabinet positions.  It was formerly known as the Secretary of Labor and Commerce, but the two divisions were separated in 1913 under President William Howard Taft.  Here is a succinct description of the office:

The stated objectives of the Sec. of Labor are to to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners of the United States, to improve their working conditions, and to advance their opportunities for profitable employment.  The Secretary oversees eight divisions: the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, the Employment and Training Administration, the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, the Employment Standards Administration, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Veterans' Employment and Training Service.

 Current Sec. Elaine Chao:  Appointed by President Bush, Sec. Chao has pursued largely anti-labor policies under the guide of "reform."  There's been plenty written about her poor labor record, so I'll just re-post some of the highlights.

From Common Dreams:

[Her new changes in overtime pay rules] would deprive an estimated 8 million workers - such as secretaries, sales representatives, and medical or legal workers - of their right to time-and-a-half premium pay when they work more than 40 hours a week.

<snip>

The law was originally intended to exempt a small number of executive, administrative and highly educated professional employees from the requirement that their employers pay a premium for overtime.

But Chao's Labor Department vastly expanded the definition of what counts as professional training. Now the training that veterans received in the military could be used as an excuse to deny them overtime pay.

<snip>

John Sweeney has said [of Chao] that "in all my years I've never seen a secretary of labor so anti-labor."

Progressive darling Jim Hightower voices his disapproval:

Labor leaders were stunned when Chao came to their recent annual meeting to attack them rather than address such real national concerns as layoffs, looted pension funds, and the growing health-care crisis.

She [even] declared that the economy is too weak to support a raise in the minimum wage.

And, finally, Dick Meister (yes, that's his name) opens fire:

She has warned unions not to use their pension funds to oppose Bush's proposal or to hire or fire service providers mainly on the basis of their position on the proposal.

She supported canceling the Labor Department regulations -- 10 years in the making -- that were designed to protect workers from the repetitive motion injuries that hurt and cripple more than two million of them annually and withdrew more than 20 other proposed safety regulations. She slashed the budget for enforcement of the remaining regulations and virtually all other department functions aimed at helping workers.

I think the point here is clear, and not altogether surprising.  The Huffington Post also has a fine piece on the anti-labor Labor Secretary.  In the interests of space, I'll decline to reprint an exceprt here, but here's a short money quote: "Hiring a former colleague from the Heritage Foundation, D. Mark Wilson, who actually wrote a report titled "How to close down the Department of Labor."  Wow, right?  So, basically, the next Secretary's first task will be to help overturn the anti-labor initiatives undertaken during Chao's watch.

Now, to finish up, let's take a look at two of the more likely candidates for this post:

 Margret Blackshere, Fmr. Chair AFL-CIO Illinois:  Blackshere has a distinguished career fighting for the rights of workers.  She began her career as a kindergarten teacher, eventually moving her way to the top of the teacher's union, following impressive efforts to organize teachers within the state.  From there, she because the first female chair of the Illinois' AFL-CIO, and its membership of more than a million workers.  She is also a Democratic super delegate who declared her support for Barack Obama early in the process.  Dick Durbin once took to the the floor of the Senate to read her accomplishments into the record:

Margaret Blackshere has been involved in the labor movement for more than 40 years and remains deeply committed to helping the working families of Illinois. Until February, she served as president of the 1-million-member strong Illinois AFL-CIO, the third-largest state labor body in the country.

Over the years, she has never been afraid to roll up her sleeves and join the picket line or to lead the march.  Margaret always arrived first and left last.

She knows that America's working men and women--those who perform some of the most demanding yet vital tasks in our society--are the real heroes. For her, her service has been a privilege an opportunity to fight for rights she believes should be guaranteed.

The Illinois Labor History Society inducted her into their Hall of Honor with this praise:

“Possessor of a brilliant career as the teacher union’s top legislative advocate, now Illinois labor’s foremost woman leader.”

Throughout her career Blackshere advanced women’s participation in the Democratic Party and organized labor. She has served as a delegate of the Democratic National Convention during 1980-1992 and promoted the candidacy of women at all levels within the Democratic Party. Blackshere promoted teachers’ rights as the president of the American Federation of Teachers and the Secretary-Treasurer of the Illinois State AFL-CIO.

Not only would Obama select a fine labor leader by appointing Blackshere to his cabinet, he would also put forth a strong advocate of women's rights.  Blackshere is generally considered to be apart from the general Washington establishment and would re-enforce Obama's message of change.

 Fmr. Rep. David Bonior: Bonior served as Democratic Whip from 1991-2002 (when he was forced out of Congress due to Republican re-districting).  His contacts in Congress and his political skill should be considered quite high.  He is currently the chairman for American Rights at Work, a lobbying group which presses for the expansion of workers' ability to organize unions.  Needless to say, his involvement in this group, and his record as a congressman have endeared him to union leadership.  He took leave in 2007 and 2008 in order to serve as John Edwards campaign manager.  Here is an excerpt from a recent piece he wrote for his organization's website:

Our economy is headed on the wrong track and taking good, hard-working people with it. Unemployment is rising through the roof, inflation and energy prices are skyrocketing, and a tragic number of Americans are losing their homes to foreclosure due to the housing and credit crisis. Now more than ever before, we need to continue our efforts to preserve America's middle class. Workers need political solutions that work for them, and they need political leaders who have strength and courage to get them through these tough times.

At American Rights at Work, we will continue to
grow public support for workers' rights, so the freedom for all men and
women to form unions for a better life is restored, guaranteed, and
promoted. More than half of U.S. workers—60 million—say they would join
a union right now if they could. It's no secret why. Workers in unions
earn 28 percent higher wages on average, and are 62 percent more likely
to have employer-covered health coverage. As a critical component of
addressing this economic squeeze, we must reform our obsolete labor law
system which too often prevents workers from joining a union if they so
choose.

It
seems that extending the right to form unions to as many Americans as
possible would likely be a prime focus of a Bonior Labor Department. 
However, Bonior's previous experience as a lobbyist could do some
damage to
Obama's message of change.  Such a contradiction in message certainly
deserves a long, hard look.  Though I ultimately believe it would be
negligible, given that Bonior's lobbying on behalf of labor would be a
net plus given this particular cabinet position.

 Fmr. Sec. of Labor Robert Reich: Robert Reich served as President Clinton's Secretary of Labor during Clinton's first term.  However, he was largely cast aside during the 1996 campaign when Clinton adviser Dick Morris persuaded the President to focus on the suburban concerns of the recently identified "soccer moms," instead of the broad social concerns such as poverty that Robert Reich pushed to address.  Reich and Clinton parted ways at the beginning of Clinton's second term.

Following his departure from the White House, Reich unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Massachusettes, and then returned to the world of academia.  In 2004, he published Reason, an excellent book arguing that the Democrats could win by pursuing a genuinely liberal economic agenda.  He is currently a frequent contributor to The American Prospect, and operates his own blog.  You can find an excellent database of his writings here.  Here is a short excerpt from one of his pieces advising the Democrats on how to address job instability:

Here's what Democrats should propose instead:

First, level the playing field between technology and labor. As it is now, businesses get an investment tax credit for buying technology that substitutes for labor. One option is to repeal the tax credit, but that would be politically difficult. Another is to give businesses a "new jobs tax credit" (say, 10 percent of the costs) for all net additions to payrolls. Make it for two years, or until the proportion of employed adults returns to its pre-recession level.

Second, recognize the high social costs of outsourcing. Businesses should still be allowed to outsource -- even a temporary ban on the practice would be a nightmare to enforce, would probably violate international trade rules and would drive up consumer prices. But there's no reason businesses should be able to deduct from their taxable incomes the full costs of outsourcing. Limit the deduction to, say, 50 percent. However, if businesses hire American workers, allow them temporarily to deduct the full costs of their payrolls until jobs are restored.

Third, buffer workers against income losses. With so many having a hard time finding work, unemployment insurance should be extended. In addition, many workers have to settle for jobs that pay less than their former wages. They need wage insurance -- paying, say, half the difference between the old and new wages, for up to two years.

Of course, in the case of Blackshere, Bonior, or Reich, it should be noted that cabinet positions are ultimately about enforcing the President's agenda.  More than what either of these candidates may seek to do, it is what their appointment would represent in terms of Obama's labor agenda that is important.  Given Secretary Chao's full-frontal attack on labor unions, David Bonior's appointment would represent a targeted strike at the last eight years of anti-union action by the Bush administration.  Blackshere's appointment would be equally targeted toward the rebuilding of labor unions, but would also suggest Obama's commitment to women's rights, whereas Reich's appointment would symbolize an investment in tackling the larger structural problems in employer-employee relations.

This is a very succinct description of just three of the possibilities for next term's Secretary of Labor.  If you have further suggestions, please leave them in the comments.  What do you believe the next Secretary of Labor should focus on?  You do you think best represents the goals of the office?