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Labor Secretary Nominee Andrew Puzder in Jeopardy

Trippy Trekker

Trippy Trekker

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Four U.S. Republican senators have not yet said whether they will support labor secretary nominee Andrew Puzder, raising suspense about whether he will survive an initial confirmation hearing this week.

The four senators - Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Tim Scott of South Carolina and Johnny Isakson of Georgia - all sit on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, which will on Thursday hold the first confirmation hearing for Puzder, President Donald Trump's pick to head the Labor Department.

Puzder, the CEO of CKE Restaurants, which franchises restaurants, including Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, has faced staunch opposition from Democrats and protests from union-backed groups about policies at CKE's food chains. Along with now-confirmed Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, he has been one of Trump's most controversial Cabinet picks.

Trump's Labor Secretary Nominee, Andrew Puzder, Faces Uncertainty as Confirmation Hearing Looms

Any Comments? Any predictions?

I predict PUZDER removes himself from the Nomination Process.
 
Seems like a pretty consistent pick from the Trump admin.

An education secretary that wants to do away with public education.
An EPA head that wants to eliminate the EPA
An Energy secretary that wanted to eliminate the department if he could have thought of it.
A National Security Advisor that is potentially compromised by Russia.

The next logical step is to have a Labor secretary that hires illegal aliens.
 
Trippy Trekker said:
Four U.S. Republican senators have not yet said whether they will support labor secretary nominee Andrew Puzder, raising suspense about whether he will survive an initial confirmation hearing this week.

The four senators - Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Tim Scott of South Carolina and Johnny Isakson of Georgia - all sit on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, which will on Thursday hold the first confirmation hearing for Puzder, President Donald Trump's pick to head the Labor Department.

Puzder, the CEO of CKE Restaurants, which franchises restaurants, including Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, has faced staunch opposition from Democrats and protests from union-backed groups about policies at CKE's food chains. Along with now-confirmed Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, he has been one of Trump's most controversial Cabinet picks.

Trump's Labor Secretary Nominee, Andrew Puzder, Faces Uncertainty as Confirmation Hearing Looms

Any Comments? Any predictions?

I predict PUZDER removes himself from the Nomination Process.
Click to expand...
I don't see what the problem is with Puzder. He used sex appeal in burger ads? That's really ridiculous. Welcome to advertising 101.
 
It seems to me Pudzer's ideology is in concert with the general GOP idealogy:

"Fast food worker advocates say they are concerned about his prior criticism of an overtime rule proposed by the Obama administration and his opposition to raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour from the current $7.25 rate. "

So,

1] No overtime

2] No raising the minimum wage

The above would seem to fit the GOP corporate utopia motto, but be in direct contrast with Trump's MAGA promises, which hasn't yet stopped any Trump nominees nor has it dissuaded any of his supporters. It would seem his supporters have a large tolerance for dept head picks that run counter to their interests or Trump's campaign promises - as long as Trump does PR-stunt-like EOs that may or may not be Constitutional or have efficacy.

So I don't see the above as enough to sink this nominee.

HOWEVER, this guy seems to have claims by his ex-wife that he beat her. If any supporting evidence from his sealed divorce records comes to light in support of her claim, then he will have problems. Trump and the GOP are already on shaky ground with many women, and I'm not sure they want to cede more of it away.
 
reinoe said:
I don't see what the problem is with Puzder. He used sex appeal in burger ads? That's really ridiculous. Welcome to advertising 101.
Click to expand...
Labor groups are decrying his being against overtime and raising the minimum wage.

But the big political kicker may be his wife's claim of physical abuse. She claims multiple attacks, including police involvement and a restraining order. The records are currently sealed, but there's now attempts to open them for the hearings.
 
Threegoofs said:
Seems like a pretty consistent pick from the Trump admin.

An education secretary that wants to do away with public education.
An EPA head that wants to eliminate the EPA
An Energy secretary that wanted to eliminate the department if he could have thought of it.
A National Security Advisor that is potentially compromised by Russia.

The next logical step is to have a Labor secretary that hires illegal aliens.
Click to expand...
Well, let's face it: These are orders coming from an egotistical narcissistic President who believes he was sent to Washington to destroy government.

It matters little to him that he was sent by the Electoral College against the wishes of the populace. In fact, he regularly lies to the country to make others believe he indeed has the support of the populace!
 
Trippy Trekker said:
Four U.S. Republican senators have not yet said whether they will support labor secretary nominee Andrew Puzder, raising suspense about whether he will survive an initial confirmation hearing this week.

The four senators - Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Tim Scott of South Carolina and Johnny Isakson of Georgia - all sit on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, which will on Thursday hold the first confirmation hearing for Puzder, President Donald Trump's pick to head the Labor Department.

Puzder, the CEO of CKE Restaurants, which franchises restaurants, including Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, has faced staunch opposition from Democrats and protests from union-backed groups about policies at CKE's food chains. Along with now-confirmed Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, he has been one of Trump's most controversial Cabinet picks.

Trump's Labor Secretary Nominee, Andrew Puzder, Faces Uncertainty as Confirmation Hearing Looms

Any Comments? Any predictions?

I predict PUZDER removes himself from the Nomination Process.
Click to expand...

He will be confirmed.
 
Chomsky said:
Labor groups are decrying his being against overtime and raising the minimum wage.

But the big political kicker may be his wife's claim of physical abuse. She claims multiple attacks, including police involvement and a restraining order. The records are currently sealed, but there's now attempts to open them for the hearings.
Click to expand...

Easy to find the restraining order and police reports. More likely another vindictive wife without arrests.

I ran across this...

Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, made it clear that Mr. Puzder was one of the Democrats’ biggest targets in the confirmation hearings
Click to expand...

What a ridiculous assertion. He probably COULD have knocked this guy out of consideration if he wasn't such a moron. Biggest targets? When it comes to nominees, he can't hit the broad side of a barn. Washington is all about deals. He knows that. He should have made one.

I hope he loses his next election for his abject failure.
 
MaggieD said:
He will be confirmed.
Click to expand...

I think you mean:

He will be confirmed. Period.

d3292f2e51e9f0a97c23263fe04094b2.jpg
 
Chomsky said:
It seems to me Pudzer's ideology is in concert with the general GOP idealogy:

"Fast food worker advocates say they are concerned about his prior criticism of an overtime rule proposed by the Obama administration and his opposition to raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour from the current $7.25 rate. "

So,

1] No overtime

2] No raising the minimum wage

The above would seem to fit the GOP corporate utopia motto, but be in direct contrast with Trump's MAGA promises, which hasn't yet stopped any Trump nominees nor has it dissuaded any of his supporters. It would seem his supporters have a large tolerance for dept head picks that run counter to their interests or Trump's campaign promises - as long as Trump does PR-stunt-like EOs that may or may not be Constitutional or have efficacy.

So I don't see the above as enough to sink this nominee.

HOWEVER, this guy seems to have claims by his ex-wife that he beat her. If any supporting evidence from his sealed divorce records comes to light in support of her claim, then he will have problems. Trump and the GOP are already on shaky ground with many women, and I'm not sure they want to cede more of it away.
Click to expand...

I think you are over simplifying the overtime issue. He isn't against "overtime" on the whole. He is against giving salaried managers overtime.

Forbes Welcome

My wife is salaried. She chooses to work a two week schedule that allows her to take every other Friday off. She works 50 hours one week and 30 hours the next week. that allows her to take every other Friday off. Under the new proposal she wouldn't have that option as her company would force everyone to work a rigid weekly 40 hours schedule to avoid paying the overtime. There are a lot of people that use that ability to work flex schedules. This is one of those issue that makes for a good sound bite until one gets into the weeds a little bit.
 
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Chomsky said:
It seems to me Pudzer's ideology is in concert with the general GOP idealogy:

"Fast food worker advocates say they are concerned about his prior criticism of an overtime rule proposed by the Obama administration and his opposition to raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour from the current $7.25 rate. "

So,

1] No overtime

2] No raising the minimum wage

The above would seem to fit the GOP corporate utopia motto, but be in direct contrast with Trump's MAGA promises, which hasn't yet stopped any Trump nominees nor has it dissuaded any of his supporters. It would seem his supporters have a large tolerance for dept head picks that run counter to their interests or Trump's campaign promises - as long as Trump does PR-stunt-like EOs that may or may not be Constitutional or have efficacy.

So I don't see the above as enough to sink this nominee.

HOWEVER, this guy seems to have claims by his ex-wife that he beat her. If any supporting evidence from his sealed divorce records comes to light in support of her claim, then he will have problems. Trump and the GOP are already on shaky ground with many women, and I'm not sure they want to cede more of it away.
Click to expand...
Where did he say no overtime?

Quotes, please, not the ruminations of a fast food worker advocate.
 
MaggieD said:
Easy to find the restraining order and police reports. More likely another vindictive wife without arrests.

I ran across this...



What a ridiculous assertion. He probably COULD have knocked this guy out of consideration if he wasn't such a moron. Biggest targets? When it comes to nominees, he can't hit the broad side of a barn. Washington is all about deals. He knows that. He should have made one.

I hope he loses his next election for his abject failure.
Click to expand...

He is big target because he is a threat to unions and politicians from one particular party rely heavily on those huge donations.
 
NonoBadDog said:
I think you are over simplifying the overtime issue. He isn't against "overtime" on the whole. He is against giving salaried managers overtime.

Forbes Welcome

My wife is salaried. She chooses to work a two week schedule that allows her to take every other Friday off. She works 50 hours one week and 30 hours the next week. that allows her to take every other Friday off. Under the new proposal she wouldn't have that option as her company would force everyone to work a rigid weekly 40 hours schedule to avoid paying the overtime. There are a lot of people that use that ability to work flex schedules. This is one of those issue that makes for a good sound bite until one gets into the weeds a little bit.
Click to expand...
Maybe a fair argument in the case of your wife, but I believe the main thrust of the law is to put a restraint on many corp's recent trends of making hourly employees low-level exempts in an effort to skirt around the hourly overtime rules.

And why not pay you wife fairly? Giver her the money she deserves for the overtime in 50 hour week? We're making America great again, right? Pay her fairly.
 
Moon said:
Where did he say no overtime?

Quotes, please, not the ruminations of a fast food worker advocate.
Click to expand...
I pulled it from the article, and Nono also links the Pudzer's own words in post #12.
 
Chomsky said:
Maybe a fair argument in the case of your wife, but I believe the main thrust of the law is to put a restraint on many corp's recent trends of making hourly employees low-level exempts in an effort to skirt around the hourly overtime rules.

And why not pay you wife fairly? Giver her the money she deserves for the overtime in 50 hour week? We're making America great again, right? Pay her fairly.
Click to expand...

My wife makes a fair wage for what she does.

I already explained it. Why do you ask me again about something I already explained?

She chooses to work a two week schedule that allows her to take every other Friday off. She works 50 hours one week and 30 hours the next week. That allows her to take every other Friday off. Under the new proposal she wouldn't have that option as her company would force everyone to work a rigid weekly 40 hours schedule to avoid paying the overtime. There are a lot of people that use that ability to work flex schedules.
Click to expand...

A lot of companies allow flex scheduling. In essence a lot of companies would do away with flex scheduling to save money by avoiding the expense of overtime.

These are some examples of the benefits for employees of flex time.

RESULTS: Employees who were allowed to change their schedules and whereabouts based on their individual needs and job responsibilities reported getting almost an hour more sleep on nights before work. They were less likely to feel obligated to work when sick and more likely to seek medical help, even when busy.
 The initiative also improved the staff members' sleep quality, energy levels, and self-reported health; and reduced their emotional exhaustion, psychological distress, and work-family conflict.

CONCLUSION: Arrangements that give workers more freedom with their time and location also enable them to take better care of themselves. As Moen puts it in a news release, "Emphasizing actual results can create a work environment that fosters healthy behavior and well-being."
Click to expand...
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/...ith-flexible-work-hours-are-healthier/250524/
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Center for Disease Control, and it included a sample of nearly 700 workers from the IT department of a large unnamed Fortune 500 corporation. Half the employees were included in the pilot flexibility program, whose training explicitly outlined how they could control where they did their job and when, as long as they met their goals and it worked for their team. Perhaps most important, it was offered to everyone in the test group — not just top performers or those who had the guts to ask.

The other half of employees were left out, managed instead by the existing policies, which included a work-from-home option that different employees could request with varying success. "There are the old rules on paper and the old rules in practice," Kelly says. Particularly talented or assertive employees sometimes would be allowed to use the benefit, and even then some who worked for cautious supervisors couldn't take part. As in most workplaces, "it was all negotiated," Kelly says. "It all comes down to managers’ comfort level and managers’ style."

Employees who were included in the pilot program, however, were much more likely to feel they had control over their schedules, greater support from their supervisors for their personal lives, and enough time to spend with their families. While they don't have numbers proving employees were more productive, in follow-up interviews with participating employees, "we heard a lot about working more effectively and feeling more productive," Kelly says.
Click to expand...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ibility-programs-work/?utm_term=.b25ae33244a4
 
Chomsky said:
I pulled it from the article, and Nono also links the Pudzer's own words in post #12.
Click to expand...
That's quite a bit different than your blanket statement "no overtime".
 
NonoBadDog said:
My wife makes a fair wage for what she does.

I already explained it. Why do you ask me again about something I already explained?



A lot of companies allow flex scheduling. In essence a lot of companies would do away with flex scheduling to save money by avoiding the expense of overtime.

These are some examples of the benefits for employees of flex time.


https://www.theatlantic.com/health/...ith-flexible-work-hours-are-healthier/250524/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ibility-programs-work/?utm_term=.b25ae33244a4
Click to expand...
Well, I agree with the benefits here, but I think the abuse potential is far higher.

Maybe your wife's employer is fair, but to cap hourly employees at 23K seems to be far too easily to abuse, IMO. That's what? 11 bucks an hour?

I respect you and your wife's wishes here, but I don't agree with this in general.
 
Moon said:
That's quite a bit different than your blanket statement "no overtime".
Click to expand...
I'm willing to stand corrected on that. I should've been more specific and done some research. I recited that claim in the article.

But I still believe allowing overtime exempt at 11 bucks an hour is allowing employers to skirt the OT regulations.
 
Chomsky said:
Maybe a fair argument in the case of your wife, but I believe the main thrust of the law is to put a restraint on many corp's recent trends of making hourly employees low-level exempts in an effort to skirt around the hourly overtime rules.

And why not pay you wife fairly? Giver her the money she deserves for the overtime in 50 hour week? We're making America great again, right? Pay her fairly.
Click to expand...
If she works 50 hrs in one week and 30 hrs in another week she's working 80 hrs. She's deliberately forgoing "overtime" because it gives her an extra day off. It literally allows her more choice to work the schedule she wants. It is bizarro world to think every one wants and prefers to work 8am-5pm, 40 hrs a week. I wouldn't mind being low lovel salaried if it allowed me to work the schedule I want.

Public service unions are among the most entrenched and corrupt unions.
 
Chomsky said:
Well, I agree with the benefits here, but I think the abuse potential is far higher. Maybe your wife's employer is fair, but to cap hourly employees at 23K seems to be far too easily to abuse, IMO. That's what? 11 bucks an hour? I respect you and your wife's wishes here, but I don't agree with this in general.
Click to expand...
When I look at the size of the people that the proposed overtime change would impact on each side the negative impact of the changes would be far more detrimental. IT is one area that would suffer a huge negative impact. There are a lot of technology and engineering companies that use flex scheduling. So if you look at how many people that an ill thought out, broad brush law would impact the numbers negatively impacted would be larger than leaving the existing laws alone. I would think technology companies employ more people than fast food restaurants. I agree that they could raise that cap to 30k a year but is a fast food assistant manager worth that much?
 
Trippy Trekker said:
Four U.S. Republican senators have not yet said whether they will support labor secretary nominee Andrew Puzder, raising suspense about whether he will survive an initial confirmation hearing this week.

The four senators - Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Tim Scott of South Carolina and Johnny Isakson of Georgia - all sit on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, which will on Thursday hold the first confirmation hearing for Puzder, President Donald Trump's pick to head the Labor Department.

Puzder, the CEO of CKE Restaurants, which franchises restaurants, including Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, has faced staunch opposition from Democrats and protests from union-backed groups about policies at CKE's food chains. Along with now-confirmed Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, he has been one of Trump's most controversial Cabinet picks.

Trump's Labor Secretary Nominee, Andrew Puzder, Faces Uncertainty as Confirmation Hearing Looms

Any Comments?
Click to expand...

Being from Alaska, my main comment is that Trump's choices have revealed 1) how unionized Alaska really is and 2) how this is incompatible with Alaska believing they are sending solid conservative Republicans to Washington D.C. Murkowski was one of two (R) Senators that voted against DeVos, and if she votes against Puzder too, against her own party again, it will be because of union pressure from back home.

How has Don Young remained Alaska's lone Representative since 1973? By quietly being a loyal friend of unions. Why don't Alaskans care that their Republican politicians are pro-teachers unions, pro-government unions, pro-trade unions? Why don't conservative Alaskans care that their state is more unionized than every other state in the nation except New York?

You pretty much can't succeed in government up here unless you're a friend of unions, and voters up here don't even notice or care. For how conservative this state's voters tell themselves they are, they sure are apathetic about the fact that unions run their state and decide who gets to represent the state's taxpayers in Juneau and D.C.
 
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Andrew Puzder withdrew his nomination. Another set back for Team Trump. Another question mark on whether Trump can govern in the public sector with sufficient competency,
 
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