G O V E R N M E N T A F FA I R S U P D AT E
9
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
It is now over 90 days into the Trump Presidency and we still are missing a handful of Administration appointments,
such as our Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary. On March 30, Trump’s Labor Secretary Nominee Alexander Acosta
was approved by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP), largely on a party-line vote
of 12-11, sending his nomination to a full Senate vote. As of late April, Acosta is still waiting on a date for his Senate
confirmation vote.
Alexander Acosta is taking the place of Andy Puzder, Trump’s original Labor Secretary Nominee, and his positions on
hot-button issues are virtually unknown. When asked about Obama’s controversial overtime rule, a rule that would
have extended overtime eligibility to some 4 million Americans, Acosta said that although the overtime rule has
not been updated with 2004, these revisions are “very large” and could have a dramatic impact on the economy,
nonprofits, and geographic areas with low wages. Acosta also answered questions about the new gig-economy.
He noted that this is something the DOL should make a priority to address and added that this is not something
that the rules at DOL have caught up on and believes any such change must be at the local level.
CLDA plans to send a letter to the DOL Secretary, once confirmed, and top officials outlining our priorities for the
Agency: revisiting the DOL’s interpretation of the classification of independent contractors, refraining from issuing
grants to state’s department of labor to increase audit activity on independent contractor classification and address-
ing the DOL overtime rule.
Acosta is joined by Agriculture Secretary Nominee Sonny Perdue, who is also waiting on Senate confirmation.
Perdue’s final Senate confirmation vote is scheduled for April 24 and we hope Acosta’s soon follows. These unfilled
Cabinet positions are leaving Agency’s a bit in limbo, as they are waiting for the Secretary and his staff to set the
Agency’s priorities and agenda.
Customized Logistics and Delivery Association | SUMMER 2017