Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is set to speak in a U.S. Senate confirmation hearing today following his nomination to become the next Secretary of Labor. Most people expect Walsh will be confirmed, but he will likely face some tough questions before he gets the job. GBH Morning Edition host Joe Mathieu spoke with former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor and CEO of MassPort, Tom Glynn, about Walsh's qualifications for the role and what he expects from today's hearing. The transcript below has been edited for clarity.
Joe Mathieu: Walsh's hearing is coming up here. Do you anticipate tough questions for the former union boss?
Tom Glynn: I do. I think that's part of the role of the confirmation process. And there'll be committee members from all over the U.S. serving in the Senate, so they'll have a different perspective. I think he'll have tough questions, but the mayor has had a long experience in answering tough questions, so I think he'll do well.
Mathieu: How do you prepare for that moment? I suspect he's going through a process not unlike preparing for a debate.
Glynn: Usually, the incoming White House and transition team puts a little team together of people who've worked on the Hill and maybe some people from advocacy organizations, and they do dry runs with questions and answers so people can think a little bit about how they might want to answer tough questions, easy questions. So I'm sure he's had at least a little bit of time to rehearse. Although, at the same time, he's mayor. So he's been doing a great job with the snowstorm and stuff, so it's a balancing act for him to get through these next few weeks.
Watch: How Marty Walsh is juggling his current position.
Mathieu: Sure. The Biden administration is framing [him] as a labor-friendly secretary who, of course, has a union background here in Boston, something we know a lot about around here. But if you're a Republican going into that hearing, you're going to try to make some hay about somebody from organized labor. Is that what you expect?
Glynn: I think so. I think there are certainly people on the committee who come from states where organized labor isn't a big presence, and so they may not be as familiar. But I think the mayor will have a chance to lay out his track record of building bridges and finding win-win solutions. And I think as some of the folks who don't have as much experience with labor unions here, that they should be reassured about how he's going to approach things.
Mathieu: Tom, do you expect that he will be confirmed?
Glynn: I do. I think so far I haven't seen really much in the way of criticism or negativity. I've been trying to read things. Forbes magazine did a piece, but I haven't seen anything that suggests that there's trouble ahead.
Mathieu: The next secretary, Tom, faces a very difficult job. Usually we don't talk a lot about the labor secretary, but in an economic environment like this, we will. There are tens of millions of people who have been left unemployed by the pandemic. Where would he start?
Glynn: So he has three main responsibilities. One is he is overseeing the unemployment compensation system, which, as you point out, is very, very important at this moment in history. Second of all, he oversees the employment and training system to the extent people need training for new jobs, if their old jobs are not coming back. And then third, he oversees a pretty significant regulatory apparatus to make sure that workplaces are safe, whether mines or traditional workplaces. So he has a lot to offer to kind of get the economy back up and fair to everybody, and give everybody a chance to participate.
Mathieu: I know there's a lot at risk here economically and with specific regard to the job market. But if President Biden gets his stimulus and vaccines result in an economic rebound the second half of the year, Tom, could Marty Walsh look like a hero?
Glynn: He could, and I think it's likely. Obviously, the president is the person who's put all these pieces together and he's asked Marty to carve out an important piece of the overall administration strategy. But he has all the skills. He's the only person, I think, who's ever served as secretary who started off working as a labor union member, then a leader, then a legislator and now a mayor. So that's pretty solid preparation for the task that the president's asked him to take on.
Mathieu: We understand they're friends. You never know exactly what to make of that. But does the friendship, the personal relationship between Marty Walsh and Joe Biden play into what his first year on the job might be like and the way he's treated by the committee?
Glynn: I think it is helpful. I think he knows a lot of the people around the president. And I think that it won't make as much of a difference to the committee, but I think it will make a difference to his ability to fast start and be in sync with what the president wants him to accomplish. That will be a plus. And people in the White House will know that he has a personal relationship with the president. That will matter there as well.
