President-elect Trump last week introduced restaurant CEO Andrew Puzder as his choice to be the next secretary of labor. Once Puzder is formally nominated after the new administration assumes office on January 20, Puzder’s nomination will require confirmation by the Senate.
Puzder is the long-time chief executive officer of CKE Restaurants, Inc., a chain of quick-service restaurants including Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. A commercial trial lawyer by background, he has been active in Republican politics, having served as a surrogate speaker for Mitt Romney during the 2012 presidential campaign and as a senior economic adviser to the Trump campaign. He also is a prolific writer and co-author of the 2010 book “Job Creation: How It Really Works and Why Government Doesn’t Understand It.”
He is on record as being opposed to overregulation, and has been a fierce critic of the Labor Department’s (DOL) controversial overtime rule, which is now on hold as the result of a federal court ruling. He also has strongly criticized recent decisions expanding union rights issued by the National Labor Relations Board.
Members of the Equal Employment Advisory Council (EEAC) can read more here.