Trump's Fast-Food CEO Labor Pick: 'Anti-Family, Anti-Worker, Anti-Jobs'
"Fast-food executive Andrew Puzder, who opposes raising the federal minimum wage and "has championed every aspect of right-wing trickle-down economics," is expected to be President-elect Donald Trump's pick for labor secretary, news outlets reported Thursday. Puzder is the chief executive of CKE Restaurants, which includes the burger chains Hardee's and Carl's Jr. among its brands. He advised and fundraised for Trump during his presidential campaign, and reportedly told a Fox Business news anchor shortly before the election that serving in a Trump administration would be "the most fun you could have with your clothes on." In fact, Patriotic Millionaire Fred Rotondaro wrote in a recent blog post: "Puzder is a minor league version of Trump: the stereotype of a loud talking business leader convinced he has done everything on his own and knows what he knows with absolute certitude. There are no shades in his business style." His appointment to head the Department of Labor, The American Prospect warned on Thursday, "will give the regulation-averse corporate lobby yet another fierce ally in Trump's White House." As such, the reaction from organized labor and worker advocacy groups was swift—and fierce. SEIU International president Mary Kay Henry said Puzder's intended nomination exposes Trump as "out-of-touch...with what working Americans need." "Throughout his career, Andrew Puzder has shown he does not believe in the dignity of all work and has used his position to line his own pockets at the expense of workers," Henry said."
