A lot of hard-working people like me are fed up with working longer and harder than ever yet still struggling to improve our families' lives. Some of us feel that our economy and political systems are rigged against people like us, the "working stiffs" who play by the rules yet keep getting the short end of the stick. We are hungry for change. We want good jobs and a real voice in the decisions that affect our families. That's a big part of why I voted for President Donald Trump.
I didn't vote for him, though, imagining he'd select for his Cabinet individuals like Andrew Puzder, CEO of the company that owns the Carl's Jr. and Hardee's burger chains. He has been nominated to head the United States Department of Labor, whose mission is to put the interests of working families first. Puzder, in my view, is not right for this crucial job for three simple reasons:
_I believe working people have the right to join together in unions. Puzder, however, is sharply critical of working people's ability to join together in organizations that give them a say at work and in the economy. I know how important standing together in a brotherhood is. I came to hold this deep belief in the power of a brotherhood through serving our country as a Marine. And I have been reminded of it every day for the past 19 years as a corrections officer as I've watched my partner's back. I have seen the spirit of solidarity at work in my union, the Michigan Corrections Organization, where we've worked hand-in-hand to earn a level of dignity and respect deserved by those who carry out some of the state's toughest jobs. I can't see why a secretary of labor would be against this kind of solidarity.
_I believe in law and order. We have rules in this country and they need to be obeyed. But it turns out Puzder's corporation, CKE Restaurants, is a persistent violator of even our most basic labor laws. According to an analysis by Bloomberg BNA, nearly 60 percent of CKE restaurants investigated by the Department of Labor were found to have committed wage and hour violations. Wage and hour laws ensure people get paid fairly for the time they've worked and the laws are enforced by the very same Department of Labor Puzder wants to lead.
CKE has also faced several class-action lawsuits on wage theft. Since 2000, when Puzder became CEO, Hardee's and Carl's Jr. have accrued 83 workplace safety violations and 1,163 wage and hour violations. In my profession, we believe in zero tolerance for breaking the rules. You shouldn't be able to break the rules more than 1,000 times and then get put in charge of enforcing them. Puzder's track record demonstrates that he is unfit to lead the department in charge of the well-being of wage earners in the United States.
_I am serious about draining the swamp. If all of Puzder's legal violations weren't bad enough, it turns out he is a major political donor who has donated $1.3 million to politicians. What might be most problematic about all this is that he has even donated to Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., a member of the Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Committee that is supposed to vote on his nomination. I don't like the idea of someone spending big money, getting nominated to a position at the highest level of government and then having his nomination vetted by someone he has contributed to. This kind of insider game works against folks like me and is why so many of us are fed up with Washington.
I believe we need real change in this country, and that change has got to give hard-working folks like my family a chance to get ahead by undoing this rigged system. Trump campaigned on the idea that he would shake things up. Unfortunately, this nominee is just business as usual.
