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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 16, 2019)
PAGE 10 | August 16, 2019 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS NATIONAL Trump names Eugene Scalia as his pick for new Labor Secretary AFL-CIO blasts the choice — a former WalMart lawyer and son of union nemesis Antonin Scalia President Richard Trumka said on July 26. “Scalia has fought er- gonomics standards, threat- ened to destroy workers’ re- By Marc Gruenberg tirement savings, challenged Press Associates Inc. the expansion of health care WASHINGTON, D.C.—The and dismissed repetitive in- national AFL-CIO is oppos- juries as ‘junk science.’ His ing GOP Pres- extreme views ident Donald are in direct Trump’s nom- conflict with ination of Eu- what America gene Scalia, deserves from the right-wing a Secretary of business Labor.” lawyer and “The Secre- son of the late tary of Labor conservative needs to be a Supreme true advocate Court justice, for working to be Secre- people. Even tary of Labor. when we dis- Trump agree, we ex- nominated pect a fair ar- AMERICA’S TOP LABOR RIGHTS Scalia to the biter who DEFENDER? Eugene Scalia at a job in late listens to black-tie Federalist Society gala to July after honor his father, the late U.S. workers and prior Labor Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia. respects the Secretary deliberative Alex Acosta process. The was forced to resign over rev- Labor Department’s work is elations about the sweetheart essential to protecting work- deal he reached with serial ing people and should be sub- sexual predator Jeffrey Ep- ject to less influence from stein just over a decade ago. corporate lobbyists, not more. Acosta was U.S. attorney for Scalia’s views are danger- Southern Florida (Miami and ously outside the mainstream surroundings) then. and leave us no choice but to Scalia served briefly in the oppose his nomination.” George W. Bush administra- Since his DOL stint, tion as Solicitor of Labor, the Scalia’s been a management- department’s top legal job. side labor lawyer and, records But he was so controversial show, the prime business even then that the Senate La- mover behind the GOP’s suc- bor Committee never called cessful effort to kill the Occu- his permanent nomination up pational Safety and Health for a vote. Administration’s ergonomics “Eugene Scalia has spent rule. his entire career making life He also was the lawyer for more difficult Walmart and danger- when Mary- ous for work- land required “Eugene Scalia has spent ing people. all firms in his entire career making We opposed the state em- him in 2002 life more difficult and ploying more for solicitor dangerous for working than 10,000 of labor people. We opposed people to de- based on his vote at least him in 2002 for solicitor anti-worker 8% of payroll of labor based on his record, and to health in- anti-worker record, and his disdain surance for his disdain for working for working their workers. people has worsened, people has Walmart was not improved.” worsened, the only firm not im- — AFL-CIO president that flunked, proved,” Richard Trumka while its two AFL-CIO unionized su- permarket competitors, Giant and Safeway, didn’t. Scalia got a federal appellate court to toss the law. And Scalia represented SeaWorld in a notorious case, which the firm lost at the Se- curities and Exchange Com- mission. SeaWorld’s CEO failed to tell investors that lia- bility for a killer whale’s gruesome drowning of its fe- male trainer would affect the firm’s profits and stock price. SeaWorld took the case to court, challenging the govern- ment. Scalia represented them and defended the firm, the CEO, and the whale who killed the worker. He lost 2-1 before a 3-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for D.C. The dissenting judge was Brett Kavanaugh, whom Trump has since named to the U.S. Supreme Court. From all of us at Local 290 Happy Labor Day! Lou A. Christian, B USINESS M ANAGER Joe Neely, A SST . B USINESS M ANAGER Bob Porter, P RESIDENT John Foote, V ICE P RESIDENT Denny Tynan, E XECUTIVE B OARD Zory Hill, E XECUTIVE B OARD Dominic DePiero, E XECUTIVE B OARD Shawn Mask, E XECUTIVE B OARD Justin Turner, R ECORDING S ECRETARY Josh Rudzik, I NSIDE G UARD Dave Hauth, F INANCE B OARD Robert Smithline, F INANCE B OARD Chris McNicholas, F INANCE B OARD UNITED ASSOCIATION LOCAL 290 FOR MORE INFORMATION & NEWS HEAD TO OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.UA290.ORG
