Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump and his administration have not taken significant action to change the landscape of labor and employment laws and regulations that many anticipated. On Feb. 15, 2017, Andrew Puzder, President Trump’s first nominee for Secretary of Labor, withdrew his nomination following growing concerns that he lacked enough Republican support in the Senate to be confirmed. President Trump subsequently nominated Alexander Acosta, former Department of Justice official and National Labor Relations Board member, for the position. On March 30, 2017, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions voted to advance Acosta’s nomination to the full Senate for final confirmation.
Without new leadership in the Department of Labor, the Republican-controlled Congress has taken the initiative. It passed joint resolutions of disapproval of certain Obama-era labor regulations and introduced legislation aimed at changing labor and employment law policy. This month’s column discusses the Obama-era labor regulations that have been targeted and current legislative initiatives regarding unions, class actions and family leave.
