February 15, 2017 - NHLA Stands with Working Families and Welcomes the Withdrawal of Puzder for Secretary of Labor

NHLA STANDS WITH WORKING FAMILIES AND WELCOMES THE WITHDRAWAL OF PUZDER FOR SECRETARY OF LABOR

WASHINGTON- The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 40 of the nation's preeminent Latino advocacy organizations, welcomes the announcement that Andrew Puzder will no longer seek consideration for the U.S. Secretary of Labor. NHLA applauds the workers, community members, advocates, and the members of Congress who stood strong against Puzder whose long record of anti-worker measures posed a threat to working families nationwide.

NHLA urges President Trump to nominate a qualified individual who upholds the values that are important to Latino families and places workers’ rights before business interests. In addition, Trump should ensure that his cabinet is both diverse and inclusive. His failure to nominate a single Latino to his Cabinet is deeply concerning. Many qualified Latinos currently serve the public and work every day to advance the rights of workers in our country. NHLA urges him to ensure that his Cabinet members are reflective of the diversity of our nation, including our country’s workforce.

"Today, our collective action yielded a very significant gain. The withdrawal of Puzder's nomination is a clear example of the true impact of civic participation in the United States. NHLA, civil rights groups, workers’ rights organizations, and countless individuals have opposed Puzder as Secretary of Labor from the outset, emphasizing the lasting and damaging effects his policies would have on our families. This victory does not signal the end of a fight, but rather further motivates us to continue pushing for a nominee that will place fair wages and worker protections at the forefront of our national agenda," said Hector Sanchez, Chair of NHLA and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. "We have demonstrated that when workers’ rights and human rights are under attack, we fight for nominees and policies that are best for our community and the nation as a whole. We will not stop here. We must also continue to promote policies that benefit ALL workers, not just a select few."

“The next nominee for Secretary of Labor, unlike the preceding one, should have a demonstrated interest and skill in helping workers improve their wages and working conditions, ensuring that all workers are treated with dignity without discrimination, and enforcing wage-hour and other employment laws vigorously to deter and remedy illegal employment practices. It is especially important that a Secretary of Labor recognize the hardships faced every day by many low-wage, immigrant workers, including farmworkers and others who labor so hard for so little to put food on our tables,” said Bruce Goldstein, Co-Chair of NHLA’s Economic Empowerment and Labor Committee and President of Farmworker Justice.

“Latinos are the backbone of the nation’s labor force and too many are earning poverty-level wages and working in unsafe conditions. We need a Secretary of Labor who is committed to promoting, strengthening, and protecting American workers. Mr. Puzder’s opposition to increasing the minimum wage, moving forward with an overtime rule, and providing earned leave demonstrates that he was the wrong choice to head the agency charged with ensuring the welfare of our nation’s workforce,” said Eric Rodriguez, Co-Chair of NHLA’s Economic Empowerment and Labor Committee and Vice President of the National Council of La Raza. “The next nominee should be fully committed to protecting workers, including those most vulnerable to exploitation, and expanding their economic opportunities.”

“The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health welcomes Andrew Pudzer’s withdrawal from the nomination of Secretary of Labor and urges the Trump administration to nominate someone who is truly pro-labor and who has demonstrated a commitment to the mission of advancing workers’ lives. Latinas face the largest wage disparities among all racial and ethnic groups, with a recent study showing that Latinas have to work 22 months to make what white men earned in 12 months alone," said Jessica González-Rojas, Co-Chair of NHLA's Latina Task Force and Executive Director of The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health. “Because women of color and immigrant women disproportionately work in physically demanding and low-wage jobs that offer little flexibility, they are most affected by regressive wage legislation and exactly the sorts of abuses that have been perpetrated by executives such as Pudzer. With Pudzer’s withdrawal, the Trump administration has an opportunity to make right the nomination of a labor secretary who is truly committed to improving workers’ life conditions through increased economic opportunities and legislation that shields them from the abuses of corporations.”

###

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Monica Ramirez | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | (202) 639-6271 |

ABOUT THE NATIONAL HISPANIC LEADERSHIP AGENDA

The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda is composed of 40 of the leading national and regional Latino civil rights and public policy organizations and other elected officials, and prominent Latinos Americans. NHLA coalition members represent the diversity of the Latino community – Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and other Latino Americans. NHLA’s mission calls for unity among Latinos around the country to provide the Latino community with greater visibility and a clearer, stronger influence in our country’s affairs. NHLA brings together Latino leaders to establish policy priorities that address, and raise public awareness of, the major issues affecting the Latino community and the nation as a whole. For more information, please visit: www.nationalhispanicleadership.org.

NHLA MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS