Trump Nominates Fast Food Exec for Labor Secretary

Monday, December 12, 2016 | 0

President-Elect Donald Trump has nominated Andrew Puzder, the chief executive officer of CKE Restaurants, as head of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Andrew Pudzer
(Wikipedia photo)

As a Washington outsider, Puzder lacks a political track record to indicate what changes he might implement at DOL. But as a businessman, the multi-millionaire has been a critic of minimum wage hikes and new overtime rules, and is predicted to take a pro-business, anti-labor, approach to his new position, The Atlantic reported.

CKE Restaurants, where Puzder has been CEO, owns fast-food chains Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. Puzder worked on the Trump campaign as an adviser and fundraiser.

The president-elect’s nomination is subject to confirmation from the Senate, where Puzder is likely to face tough questions from Democrats on his positions on minimum wage, sick leave and the Affordable Care Act, workers’ comp blogger Joe Paduda wrote on Friday.

“For those in the workers’ comp world concerned about a new commission on work comp, your concerns are gone,” Paduda said.

Following Trump’s victory in last month’s election, some predicted that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration would take a gentler approach to enforcement under the new administration, placing a greater emphasis on voluntary compliance. OSHA is a division of the Department of Labor.