Workers Nationwide to Protest Trump’s Labor Secretary Pick

By Kenrya Rankin Jan 11, 2017

The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for Andrew Puzder—Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. secretary of labor who currently serves as CEO of the company that operates Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s restaurant chains—has been postponed pending additional vetting. But that isn’t stopping cooks and cashiers from Puzder’s restaurants in more than two dozen cities from protesting his nomination tomorrow (January 12).

If confirmed, Puzder would lead the Department of Labor, which works “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.”

But his CKE Restaurants employees don’t think he’s a good fit for the job.

“Andy Puzder represents the worst of the rigged economy Donald Trump pledged to take on as president,” Terrance Dixon, a $9.00/hour worker at Hardee’s said in an emailed press release. “If Puzder is confirmed as labor secretary, it will mean the Trump years will be about low pay, wage theft, sexual harassment and racial discrimination instead of making lives better for working Americans like me.”

Puzder has gone on the record as opposing an increase in the minimum wage, overtime pay and paid sick leave. He also told Business Insider in March 2016 that automating jobs with robots as preferable to advocating for human workers’ rights: “They’re always polite, they always upsell, they never take a vacation, they never show up late, there’s never a slip-and-fall, or an age, sex or race discrimination case,” he said.

The coordinated rallies and marches are part of the Fight for $15 effort, which advocates for a living wage for all workers.