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
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