Reich will remain at the Labor Department until the inauguration in January. Rumored successors include Tom Donahue, former president of the AFL-CIO; Harold Ickes, deputy White House chief of staff and a former New York labor lawyer; and Maria Echaveste, a Reich deputy.
Reich's departure puts the fate of OSHA chief Joe Dear up in the air. He's an administration favorite, and sources say he wants to stay in the job, but the new labor secretary might want to put in his or her own person.