Dear Steve,
Donald Trump’s nominee for labor secretary, Andrew Puzder, is a longtime sexist with an utter disdain for working people – a whole lot like Trump himself.1 And with his nomination hearing coming up soon, we’re running out of time to stop him.
Puzder hates the minimum wage and President Obama’s reforms to increase overtime pay. As CEO of CKE Restaurants, which includes Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, he has faced lawsuits for discrimination and for not paying employees what they are owed, known as wage theft. He is a former anti-abortion activist who is most famous for his company’s sexist commercials featuring bikini-clad women.2
Putting Puzder in charge of the Department of Labor is like making an arsonist fire chief. We need to make sure Republicans know there is a price to pay for supporting this radical of a candidate, and that Democrats do everything they can to oppose this nomination.
Puzder is just about the opposite of what you want in a labor secretary:
Hates the minimum wage. Puzder is a longtime opponent of the minimum wage, even threatening to replace workers with robots if wages go up. He’s a CEO in a fast food industry that features far worse pay than other industries, even though his own salary is roughly 300 times the minimum wage.3
Accused of stealing from, mistreating and putting workers at risk. Puzder and his companies have faced – and settled – repeated lawsuits from workers, including claims of wage theft, discrimination, failure to provide breaks and dangerous workplace environments.4
Long history of sexism and anti-abortion activism. Puzder called his company’s sexist advertisements showing scantily clad women, some of which were too outlandish for TV, a reflection of his own personality. The ads are infamous, but Puzder’s leadership in the anti-abortion movement, including writing a restrictive, anti-abortion law in Missouri, is far more troubling.5
Opposes overtime pay. The last two administrations, Republican and Democrat, have both raised the overtime salary threshold to keep it up to date with expenses. But Puzder has promised to seek to deny millions raises by opposing the Obama administration’s overtime pay reforms. No surprise, coming from a man whose companies have been accused of denying employees earned overtime pay.6
Few Americans want a cruelly out-of-touch CEO looking out for them as labor secretary. We need to make Puzder as toxic as possible by speaking up loudly right now.
The Department of Labor is supposed to protect working people, including taking action against companies that deny pay and put workers at risk. Puzder’s job will be to regulate the same fast-food industry that he just left – yet another blatant conflict of interest in the Trump administration.
Donald Trump is the most unpopular president-elect in modern history. We need to remind Republicans that his massive popular vote loss leaves him without any mandate to pick right-wing cronies and monsters from the same swamp he claims to want to drain. Even though the lack of filibuster means Democrats will have trouble blocking his nominations, if Democrats utilize any and all tactics to mount a fierce and uncompromising resistance to Puzder, it will help expose Trump’s radical right-wing agenda and further undermine his already meager support.
Tell the Senate: Oppose and resist anti-worker Puzder nomination. Click below to sign the petition:
Thank you for speaking out,
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- Tom Philpott, “Trump's Labor Secretary Pick Hates the Minimum Wage, Loves "Beautiful Women Eating Burgers in Bikinis",” Mother Jones, Dec. 9, 2016.
- Ibid.
- Brendan Gauthier, “Donald Trump’s labor secretary pick Andy Puzder, who makes 300 times his employees, opposes minimum wage hike,” Salon, Dec. 8, 2016.
- Tim Mak and Amelia Warshaw, “Trump’s Labor Secretary Pick, Andrew Puzder, Is Swamped in His Own Workplace Lawsuits,” The Daily Beast, Dec. 9, 2016.
- Philpott, “Trump's Labor Secretary Pick Hates the Minimum Wage, Loves "Beautiful Women Eating Burgers in Bikinis".”
- Ibid.
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