Some of U.S. Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su’s earliest memories took place while she lived in Madison. She remembers feeding ducks on Lake Mendota, and describes herself as being “born a Badger.”

Her family later moved to California, but Su returned to Madison Wednesday — this time a member of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet. She accompanied Vice President Kamala Harris in a visit that celebrated initiatives in Madison to build infrastructure and combat the climate crisis.

For Su, being back in Madison is humbling. She pointed to the job opportunities being created for communities across the state through improving roads, building bridges, preparing for electric buses and upgrading public transit overall.

Su’s career advocating for workers has largely been inspired by her upbringing as a first-generation American. Su was born in Madison to immigrant parents — her mother from China, and her father from Taiwan. In Madison, Su’s mother worked two jobs while her father attended the University of Wisconsin.

Growing up, Su said her family struggled financially, but after working minimum wage jobs in California for a few years, Su’s mother began working in a union role.

“That really changed our lives,” Su said. “It gave us a kind of financial security that they [Su’s parents] couldn’t have imagined.”

Under union protection, Su’s mother gained access to health benefits and a pension for retirement. Though her mother was the first in the family to be a union member, Su quickly learned the impact unions have on individuals and their families.

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“I learned the value of unions through our life experience and the opportunities that we did not have without one,” Su said.

Su’s personal experience coming from a family with union protection has acted as a guiding light in her Cabinet role. She said she sees the ability of workers to join a union as fundamental to the American dream. And as unions across the nation went to the bargaining table in 2023, achieving historic outcomes, Su said she was happy to see the impacts of these negotiations felt by both union and non-union workers.

But being able to join a union is only possible with other robust efforts that strengthen the workforce, Su said. This includes apprenticeship programs to ensure Americans who want a job receive the necessary training to thrive and feel empowered to remain in their field. Su said these programs should be widely accessible for all.

Language is an important aspect of this accessibility. The child of immigrants, Su grew up frequently having to translate for her parents, navigating the “adult world” from a young age. She quickly realized the power held and challenges presented by language.

“My background, coming from an immigrant family, makes me very much appreciate just how important effective communication is,” Su said. “It’s not just about English versus other languages, but also about being accessible.”

Su has taken this importance of language and made it central to her work. She sees language as critical to preventing wage theft and ensuring appropriate working conditions. Still, when meeting with workers, Su said she often meets individuals who are given information about their rights and resources — but who struggle to understand this due to the specific language used. 

She has identified how this acts as a barrier to both understanding and effective communication. And in her role, she has made a point to provide online resources in a number of languages using accessible phrasing for workers.

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“I realized that law is the language of power,” Su said. “It’s a language that determines who gets what in our society. I wanted to translate for people who had been discriminated against, or marginalized, or exploited.”

This immigrant family background has pushed Su to advocate for future generations of immigrants. She explained that immigrants’ energy and talent strengthens the workforce and, as a result, the country. A country that is welcoming to immigrant communities creates a “moment of opportunity,” Su said.

This opportunity applies not only to newcomers, but to current citizens and the labor market as a whole, Su said. She emphasized the 14.8 million jobs created since Biden took office and low rates of unemployment across the nation.

Su has been inspired by her other Cabinet members, and is proud to be part of a Cabinet that is representative of the U.S. She said that in seeking diversity, excellence can be found.

This is why Su has pushed for women to enter traditionally male-dominated trades, such as construction, and why Su always has a local woman worker introduce her when speaking across the nation. 

Su hopes she will serve as an inspiration for those who come after her — just as those who have come before have done for her.