Members of BlueGreen Alliance Oppose Andrew Puzder’s Nomination as Labor Secretary
America has a significant opportunity to create and maintain quality jobs, drive U.S. manufacturing growth, and secure American competitiveness, while reducing toxic exposure and pollution and protecting our climate and environment. Our U.S. Labor Secretary should see the value that innovating, building, and installing the clean economy can create across the country.
Members of the BlueGreen Alliance, a coalition of the nation’s largest labor unions and environmental groups, collectively representing millions of members and supporters, urged Senators to oppose the nomination of Andrew Puzder to Secretary of Labor.
President-elect Trump’s nominee represents an industry that is one of the worst offenders when it comes to labor and employment violations. Since becoming the Chief Executive Officer of CKE Restaurants in 2000, more than half of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. locations investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) had violated wage and hour laws. Lawsuits have been brought against his company for forcing workers to work without pay. While conditions for workers in his restaurants continued to degrade, including the loss of employer contributions to 401(k) plans, CKE was criticized for using company money for recreation clubs, personal use of the company plane, and a car allowance, while Mr. Puzder received outsized compensation for the industry.