AFSCME Opposes Scalia Appointment

WASHINGTON — After Eugene Scalia’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement:

“Eugene Scalia has demonstrated that he remains committed to protecting corporations over working people and is unfit to lead as Secretary of Labor. In both private practice and as the Labor Department’s top attorney, Scalia supported the growth of unchecked corporate power and neglected the welfare of working people. After the Great Recession, Scalia led financial services industry efforts to challenge the 2010 Dodd-Frank law needed to protect working families.

“He opposed efforts to raise the minimum wage for federal workers and advocated for eliminating the fiduciary rule, which requires financial advisors to work in their customers’ best interest. Scalia also sided against workers and their unions in lawsuits alleging corporations like Boeing and UPS were retaliating and discriminating against employees. We need a champion for working people in the Department of Labor who will advance standards that protect overtime pay, strengthen workplace safety and defend workers’ rights over corporate interests. AFSCME urges the Senate to reject this nomination.”