As of February 15, Andy Puzder, the CEO of CKE Restaurants, which is the parent company of Carl’s Jr. and Hardees, will no longer be considered for the Secretary of Labor position within the Trump administration.
To workers, especially fast food workers, this is a great victory. Puzder is known for opposing the minimum wage, time-and-a-half pay after 40 hour work weeks, paid sick leave, while supporting automation in the workplace, abusing his spouse, and mistreating and sexually harassing employees, leading to several lawsuits. It has been pointed out that as Secretary of Labor, he would have been in charge of enforcing labor laws that his own company had repeatedly been found guilty of violating!
Outside of his reactionary labor views, Pudzer has also made other controversial remarks. He was an outspoken supporter of the 2016 Donald Trump campaign. He donated around $332,000 to the campaign and the Republican National Committee and served as a campaign spokesperson. He has also voiced his opposition to “illegal” immigration and is a hardline advocate of “immigration reform.”
Puzder came under heavy criticism almost immediately after his nomination for Secretary of Labor was announced. The labor movement mobilized massive opposition to Puzder. The organization Fight for $15 organized dozens of militant protests against Puzder’s nomination.
“Whether he’s confirmed, denied, or withdrawn, we won’t back down for one minute in our demands for $15 an hour and union rights for all workers,” said Rogelio Hernandez, a Carl’s Jr. employee in Santa Monica, Calif.
“If Trump is going to be President for the fast-food corporations instead of the fast-food workers, he’s going to end up on the losing side of history,” he added. (NY Daily News.)
As a result of the massive opposition from workers and grassroots progressives, elected officials in the Congress and the Senate felt the heat and joined the opposition to Puzder. The opposition of the politicians focused more on the personal characteristics and private life of Puzder, including the release of a video of his ex-wife accusing Puzder of domestic violence. Republicans focused on the revelation that Puzder hired an undocumented immigrant as a personal housekeeper. This worker was paid poorly and Puzder did not pay taxes for her.
What does this victory mean for workers in the U.S.?
It is a relief and satisfying to workers everywhere to hear that Puzder will no longer be considered for the Secretary of Labor position. But just because Puzder is gone, it does not mean that we will have an actual labor-friendly Secretary of Labor. As we have seen from the rest of the Trump administration picks, such as Steve Bannon as chief strategist, Jeff Sessions as Attorney General and Ben Carson as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, ultra-right wing and reactionary people are being brought into this cabinet. So it is safe to say that whatever person is nominated for Secretary of Labor, the fight for workers’ rights will continue.
The Fight for $15 movement, representing predominately fast food workers, achieved this victory. Carl’s Jr. and Hardees employees nationwide and other Fight for $15 workers organized this particular fight against Pudzer. Fast food workers have dealt with extremely low wages, wage theft, and other issues for far too long. They were not going to accept that an anti-labor Secretary of Labor was going to be in charge of enforcing labor protections.
The struggle of low-wage workers, indeed of all workers, continues even after Puzder’s withdrawal. Until CEOs, bankers and billionaires no longer control our political and economic system, attacks on the working class will continue. What we need is a systematic change that addresses the disease and not just its symptoms. The movement against Trump and his administration is growing and it is showing in these victories. We must continue the fight with the same energy and motivation that we saw with the opposition to Puzder’s nomination.
