Person

Marty Walsh

Nationality:

American

Born:

1967

Occupation:

Politician, Labor Union Official

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

Martin “Marty” J. Walsh is a labor union official and Democratic politician notable for serving as mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, and as the U.S. Secretary of Labor under President Joe Biden. The Biden White House indicated that he would be leaving his position in February 2023 amid several other high-level personnel changes in the administration. Walsh accepted an offer to run the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), the collective bargaining organization that assists professional hockey players with salary arbitration and grievance resolution. According to Politico, the salary of the NHLPA executive director is approximately $3 million, compared to the $200,000 Walsh received as Secretary of Labor. 1 2

When the Biden administration nominated Walsh for Secretary of Labor in January 2021, he received more cross-party support in Congress compared to many other Biden cabinet picks. 3 Walsh has consistently supported legal protection for and expanded access to abortion, which won him an endorsement from the influential abortion activist group NARAL Pro-Choice America. 4 In addition, he has endorsed limits on Second Amendment rights, touting his state’s restrictive firearm ownership laws as an example for the federal government. 5 As mayor, Walsh also pushed for allocating millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to promote left-wing messaging on race and called for liberal expansionist immigration laws, which won him an endorsement from the National Council of La Raza, a radical Hispanic identity-advocacy group now known as UnidosUS. 6 7

Education and Early Career

Marty Walsh was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. His parents were immigrants from Ireland. Walsh attended Boston College, receiving a bachelor’s degree in political science. In 1997, he successfully ran for the state House of Representatives, where he remained until 2014. 8

Labor Unionism

Prior to his election to the state legislature, Marty Walsh joined the Laborers’ International Union of North America, a member organization within the AFL-CIO. He went on to become a local union president and later head of the Boston Construction Trades Council, for which he launched a program intended to shift the demographics of local industries to favor women and ethnic minority groups. 9

State Legislature

During his terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, Marty Walsh shifted his public position on abortion and became an increasingly vocal supporter of expanded access to it. 10

Walsh identifies himself as a Catholic and has accepted awards from Catholic organizations in Boston. He is also long-time supporter of legalized and easily accessible abortion, and while he described himself as “personally pro-life” in the early years of his tenure as a state representative, he later distanced himself from this position. As mayor of Boston, he supported a law which allowed girls as young as 15 to get abortions without their parent’s consent and eliminated a requirement that doctors try to save the lives of infants who survived abortion attempts. Since 2016, Walsh also has pushed for Boston to become a sanctuary city for women seeking to circumvent abortion restrictions elsewhere. In 2017, he spoke at a dedication ceremony for a city square named after a doctor who was convicted of manslaughter for aborting a baby by suffocating it inside the mother’s womb. 11

Boston Mayor

In 2013, Walsh successfully ran for mayor of Boston. 12 As the mayor of Boston, Marty Walsh continued to support pro-abortion initiatives. He endorsed a bill which lowered the legal age for a teenage girl to get an abortion without the approval of a judge or a parent from 17 to 15 (an earlier version of the bill, which Walsh also supported, would have removed the age requirement entirely). The bill also ended the legal requirement for doctors to try to save infants who were born alive despite being aborted. In 2016, Walsh received an award from NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, a state affiliate of the NARAL Pro-Choice America (formerly the National Abortion Rights Action League). That year, he began pushing for Boston to become a “safe city” for women seeking to get abortions in violation of their own city or state laws. In 2017, Walsh approved the dedication of a public square in Boston to abortionist Kenneth Edelin, who was convicted of manslaughter in 1973 for aborting a baby by suffocating it but was later acquitted by the Massachusetts Supreme Court. Walsh described Edelin as having “a rare combination of remarkable talent and a devotion to doing the right thing.” 13

Walsh’s also pushed other left-of-center policy initiatives, including allocating taxpayer dollars to promote the interests of immigrant groups in Boston and launch a legal assistance program for illegal aliens facing deportation. 14 He also opposed concealed firearm carry reciprocity laws, which would allow gun owners from other states to have their permits recognized in Massachusetts, and he endorsed a proposed federal law which would have given states financial incentives to restrict Second Amendment rights. 15

During the nationwide anti-law enforcement protests and riots in the summer of 2020, Walsh issued a statement declaring “racism” a “public health” issue and using the declaration as the justification for transferring $3 million of taxpayer dollars away from the city’s police budget. 16 Nonetheless, some left-wing activists criticized Walsh for not going far enough in curtailing law enforcement power and diverting taxpayer funds towards their favored causes. 17

Biden Administration

President Joe Biden nominated Walsh for Secretary of Labor in January 2021. 18 During his two years in Biden’s cabinet, Walsh pushed for expanding the influence of labor unions and for increasing the flow of immigrants into the United States, citing an alleged labor shortage. 19 However, despite his advocacy for increasing immigration, some left-of-center observers criticized Walsh for allegedly not going doing enough to reduce barriers to immigrant employment and for not taking more aggressive action to increase the power of labor unions. 20 21

NHL Players’ Association

Marty Walsh was announced as the new executive director of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) in March 2023, the same month in which he resigned as U.S. Secretary of Labor. 22 The NHLPA is the leading collective bargaining organization for American professional hockey players. Founded in 1967, the association assists its member athletes with salary and working condition arbitration, as well as grievance resolution and professional development. It also works to popularize hockey around the world and supports NHL player participation in international tournaments, including the Winter Olympics. 23

The NHLPA has worked to inject left-wing political and social causes into the league’s public relations and internal affairs: in September 2020, the association announced that it would be incorporating mandatory instruction on left-wing race ideology into player training programs. In addition, the NHLPA has been collaborating with the NHL to feature LGBT “Pride” messaging at games. 24 25

References

  1. Lisa Kashinsky et al. “Marty Walsh to depart from Biden Cabinet for job atop hockey players’ union.” Politico. February 7, 2023. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/07/marty-walsh-to-depart-from-biden-cabinet-for-job-atop-hockey-players-union-00081567
  2. “What We Do.” NHLPA. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.nhlpa.com/the-pa/what-we-do
  3. Lisa Kashinsky et al. “Marty Walsh to depart from Biden Cabinet for job atop hockey players’ union.” Politico. February 7, 2023. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/07/marty-walsh-to-depart-from-biden-cabinet-for-job-atop-hockey-players-union-00081567
  4. [1]“NARAL Pro-Choice America Congratulates Marty Walsh on his Confirmation as Secretary of Labor.” NARAL Pro-Choice America. March 22, 2021. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.prochoiceamerica.org/2021/03/22/naral-pro-choice-america-congratulates-marty-walsh-on-his-confirmation-as-secretary-of-labor/
  5. Jennifer Hansler. “Boston mayor on gun violence: ‘There’s something wrong with our system.’” CNN. February 22, 2018. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/22/politics/marty-walsh-axe-files/index.html
  6. Quincy Walters. “Boston Mayor Declares Racism A Public Health Crisis.” National Public Radio. June 12, 2020. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/2020/06/12/876327158/boston-mayor-declares-racism-a-public-health-crisis
  7. “Standing With Immigrants.” The Committee to Elect Martin J. Walsh. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.martywalsh.org/priority/immigration/
  8. Laelia Yang. “Marty Walsh – Secretary of Labor: Biography, Personal Life and Career.” KnowInsiders. January 19, 2021. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://knowinsiders.com/who-is-marty-walsh-secretary-of-labor-biography-personal-life-and-career-27431.html
  9. Laelia Yang. “Marty Walsh – Secretary of Labor: Biography, Personal Life and Career.” KnowInsiders. January 19, 2021. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://knowinsiders.com/who-is-marty-walsh-secretary-of-labor-biography-personal-life-and-career-27431.html
  10. Matthew McDonald. “Pro-Lifers Outraged Boston Catholic School Is Honoring Pro-Abortion Biden Cabinet Member.” National Catholic Register. March 29, 2022. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.ncregister.com/news/pro-lifers-outraged-boston-catholic-school-is-honoring-pro-abortion-biden-cabinet-member
  11. Matthew McDonald. “Pro-Lifers Outraged Boston Catholic School Is Honoring Pro-Abortion Biden Cabinet Member.” National Catholic Register. March 29, 2022. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.ncregister.com/news/pro-lifers-outraged-boston-catholic-school-is-honoring-pro-abortion-biden-cabinet-member
  12. Laelia Yang. “Marty Walsh – Secretary of Labor: Biography, Personal Life and Career.” KnowInsiders. January 19, 2021. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://knowinsiders.com/who-is-marty-walsh-secretary-of-labor-biography-personal-life-and-career-27431.html
  13. Matthew McDonald. “Pro-Lifers Outraged Boston Catholic School Is Honoring Pro-Abortion Biden Cabinet Member.” National Catholic Register. March 29, 2022. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.ncregister.com/news/pro-lifers-outraged-boston-catholic-school-is-honoring-pro-abortion-biden-cabinet-member
  14. “Standing With Immigrants.” The Committee to Elect Martin J. Walsh. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.martywalsh.org/priority/immigration/
  15. [1]“Marty Walsh on Gun Control.” On The Issues. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://ontheissues.org/Cabinet/Marty_Walsh_Gun_Control.htm
  16. Quincy Walters. “Boston Mayor Declares Racism A Public Health Crisis.” National Public Radio. June 12, 2020. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/2020/06/12/876327158/boston-mayor-declares-racism-a-public-health-crisis
  17. Chip Goines. “Does Mayor Walsh Believe That Black Lives Matter? Just Look At His 2021 Budget.” DigBoston. July 26, 2020. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://digboston.com/does-mayor-walsh-believe-that-black-lives-matter-just-look-at-his-2021-budget/
  18. Lisa Kashinsky et al. “Marty Walsh to depart from Biden Cabinet for job atop hockey players’ union.” Politico. February 7, 2023. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/07/marty-walsh-to-depart-from-biden-cabinet-for-job-atop-hockey-players-union-00081567
  19. Chris Richardson. “Why Marty Walsh’s resignation is a good thing.” The Hill. March 1, 2023. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://thehill.com/opinion/immigration/3878212-why-marty-walshs-resignation-is-a-good-thing/
  20. Hamilton Nolan. “Marty Walsh didn’t do enough.” MSNBC. February 10, 2023. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/mary-walsh-resign-job-biden-labor-rcna69786
  21. Chris Richardson. “Why Marty Walsh’s resignation is a good thing.” The Hill. March 1, 2023. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://thehill.com/opinion/immigration/3878212-why-marty-walshs-resignation-is-a-good-thing/
  22. Lisa Kashinsky et al. “Marty Walsh to depart from Biden Cabinet for job atop hockey players’ union.” Politico. February 7, 2023. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/07/marty-walsh-to-depart-from-biden-cabinet-for-job-atop-hockey-players-union-00081567
  23. “What We Do.” NHLPA. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.nhlpa.com/the-pa/what-we-do
  24. Stephen Whyno. “NHL unveils series of initiatives aimed to combat racism, accelerate inclusion.” CBC. September 3, 2020. Accessed March 26, 2023. https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/nhl-highlighting-social-issues-initiatives-anti-racism-inclusion-1.5711330
  25. “NHL and NHLPA Celebrate Pride Month.” NHLPA. June 1, 2021. Accessed March 26, 2023. https://www.nhlpa.com/news/1-22110/nhl-and-nhlpa-celebrate-pride-month
  See an error? Let us know!