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President Trump officially announced this week his intention to appoint Eugene Scalia as secretary of the Labor Party. The White House said it possessed both legal expertise and practical experience of the department.
But Democrats threaten to oppose the appointment, fearing a mediator who could become a powerful deregulator.
"Eugene Scalia is the president's choice to head the Department of Labor because of his deep expertise and his ability to defend the American worker," White House press officer Judd Deere told Fox News. Most respected lawyers in the world of work and employment. in the country, and we expect the Senate to move quickly in favor of his appointment. "
TRUMP OF APPOINTMENT OF GENE SCALIA, SON OF THE END OF THE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE ANTONIN SCALIA, TO THE SECRETARY OF LABOR
Scalia, a son of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, brings a wealth of experience to the role of longtime lawyer in the field of labor, employment and regulatory law and former lawyer at Ministry of Labor under the administration of George W. Bush.
He is also a senior member of the US Administrative Conference – an agency that recommends to Congress and the executive the means to improve the procedures of the agency. Trump described Scalia as having led "a life of great success in the legal and labor field".
But the Democrats also refer to Scalia's record, saying the proposed candidate would steer the ministry in a pro-business direction and aggressively seek to abolish worker-protecting regulations.
"President Trump misses the opportunity to appoint a worker fighter, like a union member, who will be the next US secretary of labor," said Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, in July. "Instead, President Trump again chose someone who proved that he put corporate interests ahead of workers' rights." Workers and union members who believed that candidate Trump had pleaded for him should feel betrayed. "
"Eugene Scalia has spent his career putting gigantic corporations in the place of American workers," said Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., At the announcement of her appointment. "This should concern anyone who believes that the Ministry of Labor should protect the rights of workers – not the interests of companies. The Senate must reject his candidacy for the position of Secretary of Labor. "
Scalia spent much of the Obama years opposing government regulation on behalf of companies, thus putting him in line with the big philosophical brushstrokes of the Trump administration, which has sought to break down regulation in several ministries.
Upon Scalia's confirmation to the Labor Department in 2001, Democrats then voiced similar concerns, focusing on his opposition to a Clinton-era rule aimed at protecting workers from repetitive stress injuries. (rule of ergonomics).
According to the Wall Street Journal, as a partner of the Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher law firm, he has spent much of his time representing the financial services industry in the face of complex regulations related to the Dodd-Frank Act The 2010 law is an important law but added that "when the government feels it is dealing with a particularly important issue, there may be a tendency to go too far".
A source close to the bid told Fox News that Scalia's track record was "pro-worker and totally un-unionistic," claiming it "has never been a business lawyer." to defeat the trade union movement "and showed respect for workers' right to organize.
The source listed examples in which Scalia had been fighting for the workers when he was part of the department that he now wanted to direct. A notable case was settled in 2002, when the Ministry of Labor won a $ 10 million settlement with a poultry plant after the company refused to pay workers for the time spent putting in and taking out equipment. security – a process known as "pulling and pulling".
While the Clinton administration was starting the action, the dispute was settled under the Bush administration, allowing Scalia litigation. According to Scalia, the New York Times reported at the time that workers spent eight minutes a day getting dressed and undressing, about $ 500 a year in unpaid work. The settlement concluded that the company had to pay the workers for dressing and undressing and that it earned $ 1,000 each for the affected workers.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union described the agreement as "not in the right direction for a fair wage for some of the most underpaid workers in the country."
Similarly, the source highlighted Scalia's role in resolving a conflict between harbor-owning companies and unions in the same year. The source said that Scalia had gained a reputation during this battle for "not playing favorites, not blaming the company, not blaming the syndicate, but simply trying to get a resolution".
The New York Times reported that union leaders had welcomed Scalia's approach of proposing an extension of contract "because it showed that the administration was seeking to take into account the concerns of unions and to avoid invoking the Taft-Hartley law ". President Bush finally invoked the law after companies rejected it. extension.
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At his confirmation hearing in the coming months, Scalia will likely face questions from Democrats about his work as a private lawyer, including overruling a Obama rule imposing tougher conditions on professionals advising retirement savers and defending companies such as Boeing, SeaWorld and. Wal-Mart.
However, with a firm Republican position in the Senate and no visible opposition from the GOP to his appointment, Scalia's chances of confirmation seem solid. While Democrats may fear that Scalia is advocating further deregulation, for many Republicans, it's a plus.
"Gene Scalia is an outstanding advocate who has vigorously defended the Constitution over a long career in government and the private sector," said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., At the announcement of the choice. "I am confident that he will be a champion for Americans who work against red tape and heavy regulations as a secretary at work."
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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