Thomas Perez Deserves an Up or Down Vote: Vote Yes on Cloture

Recipient: U.S. Senate

View the PDF of this letter here.

Dear Senator,
 
On behalf of the undersigned 85 organizations, we write to urge you to vote yes on cloture to  allow an up or down vote on the confirmation of Thomas Perez as the next Secretary of the  U.S. Department of Labor. Mr. Perez has shown a commitment to advancing opportunity for  all Americans, and his outstanding career in public service makes him well qualified to  ensure the well-being of our nation’s workforce as the next Secretary of Labor.
 
We believe the next Secretary of Labor must ensure that the voices of working families are  heard and can bring the perspective, values, and needs of employees, and job seekers to  policymaking. Based on his distinguished career, there is no doubt that as Labor Secretary  Mr. Perez will promote the welfare of wage earners, job seekers, and retirees; improve  working conditions and workplace safety; advance opportunities for employment; and assure  work-related benefits and rights.
 
As the Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, Mr.  Perez helped build consensus with stakeholders to uphold the civil and constitutional rights  of all Americans, particularly some of the most vulnerable members of our society. Mr.  Perez stepped up enforcement of human trafficking laws and efforts to ensure that veterans  can keep their civilian jobs while serving in the military. He has also been a tireless  champion of voting rights, disability rights, equal educational equity, and has prosecuted  some of the most heinous hate crimes in recent memory.
 
Before his nomination to lead the Civil Rights Division, Mr. Perez was Secretary of  Maryland’s Department of Labor, where he collaborated with businesses and employees to  address critical workforce development needs and continue to build a world-class workforce.  Throughout his public service career, Mr. Perez has also prosecuted high profile civil rights  cases, was a Director of the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and  Human Services, was Special Counsel to the late Senator Edward Kennedy, where he was  Sen. Kennedy’s principal adviser on civil rights, criminal justice, and constitutional issues,  and also served as a local elected official on the Montgomery County Council in Maryland.
 
Thomas Perez’s outstanding career in public service makes him eminently qualified to be the  next Secretary of Labor and take on the important responsibility of ensuring the well-being  of our nation’s wage earners, job seekers, and retirees. For these reasons, we urge you to  move forward without any additional delay and vote yes on cloture for the confirmation of Thomas Perez.
 
For further information, please contact Lexer Quamie at (202) 466-3311 or email  [email protected].
 
Sincerely,
 
Advancement Project
AFL-CIO
African American Ministers In Action (AAMIA)
Alliance for Justice
American Association for Justice
American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO
American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)
Anti-Defamation League
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Asian Law Caucus
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance and Institute for Asian Pacific American Leadership &
Advancement
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Los Angeles
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
Center for Community Change
Children’s Defense Fund
Communications Workers of America
Community Action Partnership
Demos
Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund
Equal Justice Society
Fair Elections Legal Network
FairVote
Family Equality Council
Farmworker Justice
Freedom to Work
Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
Hispanic Federation
Human Rights Campaign
Immigration Equality
International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America,
UAW
Japanese American Citizens League
LatinoJustice PRLDEF
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
League of United Latin American Citizens
MALDEF
NAACP
NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc.
National Abortion Federation
National Association of Human Rights Workers (NAHRW)
National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO)
National Association of Social Workers
National Black Justice Coalition
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD)
National Community Reinvestment Coalition
National Conference of Black Mayors, Inc.
National Congress of American Indians
National Council of Jewish Women
National Council of La Raza (NCLR)
National Council on Independent Living
National Disability Rights Network
National Education Association
National Employment Lawyers Association
National Employment Law Project
National Fair Housing Alliance
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund
National Health Law Program
National Hispanic Leadership Agenda
National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC)
National Immigration Law Center
National Korean American Service & Education Consortium
National Legal Aid and Defender Association
National Organization for Women
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Senior Citizens Law Center
National Women’s Law Center
NILC Immigrant Justice Fund
People For the American Way
PolicyLink
Poverty and Race Research Action Council
Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.
Public Advocates Inc.
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF)
The Sikh Coalition
South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)
Southern Poverty Law Center
United Food and Commercial Workers International Union
United Steelworkers