Labor unions press Trump to drop Puzder nomination

President Trump should withdraw Andrew Puzder’s nomination to lead the Labor Department, the AFL-CIO and other labor groups said Thursday in a letter obtained by The Hill.

The AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest labor organization, raised concerns about Puzder hiring and not immediately paying taxes on a housekeeper who was an undocumented immigrant — an issue that has also generated criticism of the Trump nominee from the right.

The letter was signed by 128 left-leaning organizations, including the AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union, Communications Workers of America, United Steelworkers, Fight for $15, Good Jobs Nation, National Employment Law Project, Jobs With Justice, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

{mosads}“The undersigned call on the Trump administration to withdraw the nomination of Mr. Puzder at once, and find a suitable nominee who shows proper respect for working people and our nation’s employment laws,” the letter reads.

This comes after Puzder on Tuesday admitted to hiring the housekeeper, but he said he was not aware of her immigration status at the time. 

Puzder said he fired the housekeeper and paid back taxes.

“Mr. Puzder is an experienced attorney and a CEO of a major fast-food chain, so he cannot plausibly claim ignorance of his legal obligations as an employer,” the letter noted.

“We already have ample cause to doubt Mr. Puzder’s fitness for the job as Secretary of Labor, and this latest news confirms our view that he should not be confirmed.”