National Employment Lawyers Association has come out on behalf of American workers to oppose the nomination of Andrew Puzder for Secretary of Labor. In support, the following is a summary of the statement recently released:
Mr. Puzder is the CEO of CKE Restaurants, which is the parent company of Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s. He has a long history of opposing laws and regulations that protect workers’ rights, and he is unfit to serve as the nation’s chief workplace rights enforcement officer. Even though his salary is roughly 300 times the federal minimum wage, Mr. Puzder opposes increases in the minimum wage for the low-wage workers that generate his restaurants’ profits, the overtime rule (which if implemented will ensure either a raise or access to overtime pay for more than four million workers), and mandated rest and meal breaks for hourly workers. He has also responded to repeated calls for improved pay and working conditions in his restaurants with threats to replace workers with robots.
The mission of the United States Department of Labor is “To foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work -related benefits and rights.” Mr. Puzder’s stated views demonstrate an unacceptable hostility to the rights and interests of working people. His appointment as the Secretary of Labor is antithetical to the Department’s mission and to President-Elect Donald Drumpf’s promise to protect America’s workers. The “American Dream” represents a time-honored bargain in which individuals commit to honest, hard work in exchange for fair treatment, fair pay, a fair shake in the workplace, and the chance to get ahead.
Andrew Puzder is on record as opposing the laws and regulations that represent the employer’s end of the promise of the “American Dream.” Mr. Puzder lacks the fundamental commitment to fairness for working people and thus should not be our Secretary of Labor.
Whether Puzder gets confirmed or not, there’s no question that there may be resistance from the next administration on pertinent issues like the minimum wage and overtime pay. However, the law is still on your side. If you feel that you have had your rights violated in any way, you should contact an overtime attorney with a proven record of success as soon as possible.
