Last week, Secretary of Labor R. Alexander Acosta resigned as Secretary of Labor, effective July 19, 2019. In conjunction with his departure, the current Deputy Secretary of Labor, Patrick Pizzella, has assumed the role of Acting Secretary.
While no one can predict with certainty at this point, there is a fair amount of speculation among those who closely track Department of Labor (DOL) developments that the agency will become more active and perhaps take more aggressive policy positions under Mr. Pizzella’s leadership. This could mean, for instance, that the timelines for completion of a number of proposed major rules will be accelerated.
If this is to happen, however, DOL will first need to effectively manage a significant transition among senior staff in the Secretary’s office while continuing to cope with the substantial void left by a number of unfilled leadership positions.
Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC) can read more here.