President Trump Nominates Scalia to Department of Labor
By: Perry MacLennan
President Trump has nominated Eugene Scalia, son of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, to head the United States Department of Labor. Scalia will replace Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta, who stepped down amid controversy. Mr. Scalia will have to be confirmed by the United States Senate before officially taking office.
Trump’s nomination of Scalia was applauded by management activists and derided by labor activists. As an attorney in private practice, Mr. Scalia made a name for himself challenging unions and regulators. As for regulation, Mr. Scalia has fought back against the “administrative state” and often argued that administrative agencies exceeded their authority in enacting regulations of private enterprise. In 2010, he defended Boeing against the National Labor Relations Board, which attempted to block Boeing’s move to establish operations in South Carolina.
On his desk when he arrives at the Labor Department are some proposed rules that need to be finalized, such as a new overtime rule, a revised joint-employer standard and regular-rate compensation rules. Critics argued that former Secretary Acosta was too slow in moving to implement these changes/reforms. Until Mr. Scalia takes office, Deputy Secretary Pat Pizzella will be the acting Secretary of the Labor Department.
