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Department of Labor

See also Secretary of Labor Nominee R. Alexander Acosta.

Timeline

2016.11.09U.S. labor unions are facing sweeping pro-business, anti-union policy changes under Trump. reuters.com (See also Blue-Collar Workers)
2016.12.02A source close to Puzder tells Bloomberg BNA that conflicts of interest aren't an issue because 94 percent of CKE's 2,500-some units are franchised. bna.com (See also Andrew Puzder, Conflicts of Interest)
2016.12.08Andrew Puzder is almost certain to approach his job as Labor secretary from the standpoint of an employer of low-wage workers, not as an advocate for those employees. latimes.com (See also Andrew Puzder, Jobs, Blue-Collar Workers)
2016.12.08Trump's pick for Labor Secretary is an outspoken critic of worker protections enacted by the Obama administration and minimum wage. nytimes.com (See also Andrew Puzder, Jobs, Blue-Collar Workers)
2016.12.09National union leaders believe the Trump administration may be the gravest labor crisis in decades. chicagotribune.com (See also Blue-Collar Workers, Andrew Puzder)
2017.01.10Two-thirds of female workers reported harassment at brands owned by CKE Restaurants, run by Trump's pick for Labor Secretary, Andrew Puzder. theguardian.com (See also Andrew Puzder, Women, Blue-Collar Workers)
2017.01.11Former employees of Carl's Jr., Puzder's company, testified today on Capitol Hill, but not at Puzder's confirmation hearing. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn) shot down the Democrat request to allow them to testify. m.motherjones.com (See also Andrew Puzder, Jobs, Alexander Acosta)
"I honestly can’t think of anyone less qualified to enforce laws that are supposed to protect employees."
2017.01.18Trump's proposed Labor Secretary Is blocking labor advocacy groups on Twitter. buzzfeed.com (See also Andrew Puzder, Blue-Collar Workers)
2017.02.02While Andy Puzder ran Hardee's, its franchisees altered timecards, deducted pay for uniforms and even broke child labor law. huffingtonpost.com (See also First 100 Days, Andrew Puzder)
2017.02.03Republicans are about to erase one of Obama's major workplace protections as the House votes to undo a rule that punishes federal contractors who cheat their workers. The Senate will likely follow suit. huffingtonpost.com (See also First 100 Days, Blue-Collar Workers)
2017.02.06Trump's Labor pick Andrew Puzder admits to employing illegal immigrants. cnn.com (See also First 100 Days, Andrew Puzder)
2017.02.08Early hires at the Department of Labor could presage collision between Trump and construction unions. propublica.org (See also First 100 Days, Labor)
2017.02.10Trump’s watered-down ethics rules let a lobbyist, Geoff Burr, help run the Department of Labor. In justifying this, the Trump administration cited a non-existent ethics rule. propublica.org (See also Conflicts of Interest, First 100 Days, Ethics)
2017.02.13GOP Senators Collins, Murkowski, Scott, and Isakson withdraw support for Labor nominee Andrew Puzder. cnn.com (See also Andrew Puzder, First 100 Days)
2017.02.15Andrew Puzder withdraws from consideration for Labor Secretary after Republicans join Democrats in opposing his nomination. theguardian.com (See also Andrew Puzder, First 100 Days, Resignations and Dismissals)
2017.02.15Finalists for Trump's new Secretary of Labor nominee include former National Labor Relations Board members Peter Kirsanow and R. Alexander Acosta; Joseph Guzman, an assistant professor at Michigan State University; and Catherine Templeton, former head of the South Carolina labor department. bloomberg.com (See also First 100 Days)
2017.02.16Trump chooses R. Alexander Acosta, a Florida law school dean and former assistant attorney general, as his new nominee to head Department of Labor. nytimes.com (See also First 100 Days, Alexander Acosta)
2017.02.16Trump pick for labor secretary, R. Alexander Acosta, an apparently surprising choice due to his staunch defence of Muslims, is a stanchly conservative lawyer. theguardian.com (See also First 100 Days, Alexander Acosta)
2017.08.29The White House on Tuesday said it will halt a planned Obama-era rule that would have required businesses to begin collecting data about how much they pay workers of different genders, races and ethnic groups, in order to address pay disparity, saying it posed a burden to employers. wsj.com (See also Women, Misogyny)
2017.12.05The Department of Labor proposed a rule change to its tip regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act, rescinding "portions of tip regulations” on restaurants, which would allow employers to pocket tips from their employees as long as those employees earn minimum wage. thetakeout.com (See also Blue-Collar Workers, Jobs)