​Puzder’s withdrawal hailed; Thursday rally goes ahead

Labor hailed the news today that Secretary of Labor nominee Andy Puzder had withdrawn his nomination. The anti-Puzder rally scheduled for Thursday morning at 8:30a in Upper Senate Park will go on as planned, now as a celebration.  AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka said "Working people rejected Puzder because he routinely violated labor law, disrespected workers, opposed a living wage and used his position of authority to enrich himself at the expense of working people," adding that Puzder's defeat was "a reminder of the collective power of working people and a clear message to President Trump that it’s time to change course completely."

"We not only want to thank our allies in the labor movement but those Republican Senators who had the courage to confront the administration and state simply that Mr. Puzder wasn't fit to be Secretary of Labor," said AFGE Local 12 president Alex Bastani, whose members work at the Department of Labor. "We hope we can work with these brave Republican Senators as we move forward with the mission of the Department of Labor."

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AFGE president J. David Cox Sr. called the withdrawal "a victory for working people everywhere," adding that "​“President Trump needs to consider his next selection for Secretary of Labor very thoughtfully and nominate someone who will fight to protect workers from discrimination and believes that all employees are entitled to fair wages and safe workplaces.”

“Faced with overwhelming pressure from workers’ groups and labor unions, damning ethics violations, and revelations about his history of domestic abuse, Puzder was right to see the writing on the wall for his nomination,” said Benjamin Jealous, founding chair of Good Jobs Defenders. While Jealous said that “Defeating Puzder’s nomination is a big victory,” he warned that “The Republican war on workers didn’t start with Andy Puzder, and it doesn't end now.”

SEIU 32BJ president Héctor Figueroa said that “Fast-food CEO Andrew Puzder should have never been nominated to lead a department once headed by Frances Perkins, a true working-class hero." 
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