On the Nomination of Alexander Acosta for Labor Secretary

Following is a statement from Christine Owens, Executive Director, National Employment Law Project:

“President Trump’s latest nominee for U.S. labor secretary, Alexander Acosta, deserves a thorough vetting on the issues that matter most to America’s workers.  We’ll make sure he gets that vetting.

“As we review Mr. Acosta’s record in the coming days, we’ll be looking for someone who respects workers, and who believes in—and is ready to uphold—the Labor Department’s mission ‘to foster . . . the welfare of the wage earners of the United States, to improve their working conditions, and to advance their opportunities for profitable employment.’

“America’s workers deserve a labor secretary who’s on their side—one who supports raising the minimum wage, expanding eligibility for overtime pay, ensuring safe and healthy workplaces, extending affordable health care, protecting workers’ retirement savings, safeguarding the right to organize and bargain collectively, and creating good, family-sustaining jobs.

“The prior nominee, fast-food CEO Andrew Puzder, failed because his words and deeds showed he was antithetical to the Labor Department’s fundamental mission to protect workers. For Mr. Acosta’s nomination to succeed, he must convince Americans that he is ready to uphold the Labor Department’s role in protecting workers and enforcing minimum wage, overtime, health and safety, and other workplace protections.

“We will hold Mr. Acosta’s nomination to the high standard that applies to any nominee for labor secretary. If he is confirmed, we will hold him accountable for upholding his duty to serve as the nation’s chief advocate for workers, and for putting the interests of workers first and foremost.”

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