The Honorable Patty Murray, Chairwoman
The Honorable Richard Burr, Ranking Member
Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Chairwoman Murray and Ranking Member Burr:
I write to express the AFL-CIO’s support for Jose Javier Rodriguez’ confirmation as Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training at the U.S. Department of Labor (ETA), and to call for his swift confirmation. Mr. Rodriguez is highly qualified for this position and his prompt confirmation will ensure continuation of the important work of administering federal apprenticeship and training programs for workers seeking to improve their skills, and overseeing federal unemployment insurance benefits and grants to states for public employment service programs.
Mr. Rodriguez is a Harvard-trained litigator, labor lawyer and law professor who served for eight years in the Florida state legislature. His professional experience and expertise equip him well to lead ETA with its diverse and critically important program areas. In public service, Rodriguez has been among the most engaged state policymakers on state-federal programs supporting workers and promoting employment, demonstrating a thoughtful commitment to a strong and competitive workforce. In addition to his service in the Florida legislature, Mr. Rodriguez served in the Peace Corps and started his legal career at Florida Legal Services. Early in his career, he represented low-wage workers, tenants, homeowner associations, small businesses and neighborhood-based organizations; more recently, he has represented employees, labor unions and employee benefit funds with the prominent Florida labor law firm of Sugarman & Susskind.
The Florida AFL-CIO has worked closely with Mr. Rodriguez during his years in the state legislature and he has also worked closely with the national federation to support training and workers’ assistance programs.
We ask for your support of this nominee because we believe he will serve workers and all Americans well at ETA. Thank you for your consideration of our views.
Sincerely,
William Samuel
Director, Government Affairs