Lipnic Speculated to Take Over Labor Department

Thursday, November 17, 2016 | 0

Political journalists covering the presidential transition speculate that Donald Trump will choose Victoria Lipnic, one of two Republican commissioners on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, to head up the Department of Labor. 

Victoria A. Lipnic

The New York Times, Politico and The Atlantic have called Lipnic the frontrunner for the job. Her voting record as EEOC commissioner has largely indicated a preference for less regulation, though it has at times crossed party lines, writes Alexia Fernandez Campbell of The Atlantic. 

Lipnic has opposed paid leave for employees under the Family and Medical Leave Act, and an employer data-submission initiative that supporters say would make companies more transparent about pay gaps that exist for women and workers of color, The Atlantic reports. 

Fernandez Campbell identified several other potential choices for the job, writing that, whoever he chooses, one thing is clear: "Trump is building a pro-business cabinet intent on scaling back government regulations meant to protect workers, consumers and the environment."

According to The Atlantic, other potential candidates for the job are:

• Andrew Puzder, the CEO of CKE Restaurants, which owns the fast-food chains Hardees and Carl's Jr. Puzder opposes raising the minimum wage and supports lowering the corporate tax rate. His biography on the CKE Restaurants website describes him as a "poster CEO" for deregulation.
• Scott Walker, the governor of Wisconsin. Walker launched an aggressive campaign against unions as governor. He tried to limit collective-bargaining rights for public employees and made Wisconsin a right-to-work state, which lets workers opt out of joining a union and paying dues even though those unions represent their interests in negotiations. 

Read the full story here.