OPPOSING MAKING THE LABOR DEPARTMENT ANTI-LABOR

WHEREAS, for more than 100 years, the American Federation of Teachers , a union of professionals, has stood with working families to advance fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public schools, higher education, healthcare and public services for all Americans and their communities; and

WHEREAS, AFT members are committed to advancing these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining and political activism, and especially through the work our members do—all with the goal of helping all children, their families and working people secure the things they need to have a chance at achieving the American dream; and

WHEREAS, the AFT is committed to protecting and expanding the American pathway to success and security, including a fair and vibrant economy that offers good jobs and a ladder of opportunity to all; a public education system that nurtures children in a safe learning environment and is adequately supported, not defunded or privatized; democratic values rooted in pluralism and equality, with a free press, an independent judiciary and a thriving labor movement; a healthcare system that provides all Americans with access to affordable, high-quality care; and dignity and respect for every person, with freedom from discrimination, bigotry and bullying; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Labor was created to help American workers by protecting their rights in the workplace, valuing their labor, improving working conditions and expanding opportunities for economic security; and

WHEREAS, President-elect Donald Trump—contrary to his campaign promises—has assembled a band of Cabinet nominees who, if confirmed, will put many federal departments and agencies in the control of America’s corporate and financial titans; and

WHEREAS, his nominee for secretary of labor—corporate executive Andrew Puzder—has repeatedly advocated and/or implemented anti-worker practices in his own businesses, including outsourcing jobs overseas, opposing an increase in the minimum wage, hiring union-busting firms to stop his own workers from forming a union, and opposing the Affordable Care Act because it requires him to provide healthcare benefits to his employees; and

WHEREAS, Puzder’s views on protecting workers—the mission of the Labor Department—are in line with Trump’s own record, which includes buying steel overseas and putting Americans out of work, fighting to keep his Las Vegas employees from forming a union, refusing to pay subcontractors who have worked on his projects, and pledging to put healthcare out of reach for millions of Americans by repealing the ACA:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers, its members and its affiliates reaffirm our commitment to the rights of workers in all jobs and professions, to our mission of advancing fairness and economic opportunity, and to supporting the Labor Department’s historic role of protecting working Americans; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT, its state and local affiliates, and its members oppose the nomination of Andrew Puzder to become secretary of labor because his record as an anti-worker corporate executive and manager makes clear that he does not believe in the mission of the department he seeks to lead, namely to advance the welfare of American workers; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will educate and mobilize our members and our communities with the goal of defeating the Puzder nomination.