Politics

Top Union Boss Continues To Praise Trump’s Labor Pick [VIDEO]

REUTERS/Marc Serota

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Ted Goodman Contributor
Font Size:

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) continues to heap praise on President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Labor, R. Alexander Acosta.

AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka called Acosta a public servant with a, “record of enforcing the laws that he’s been put in charge of,” during a Tuesday afternoon appearance with Neil Cavuto on Fox Business.

WATCH:

Trump nominated Acosta Feb. 16, after his original nominee, CKE restaurant executive Andy Puzder, withdrew his name from consideration when Senate Republicans said they lacked the votes for confirmation. (RELATED: Andy Puzder Withdraws Name From Labor Dept. Post)

Trumka, who was a vocal critic of Puzder, told Cavuto that he liked Acosta, “much more” than Puzder.

“He’s been a public servant, he has a record of enforcing the laws that he’s been put in charge of, whether it’s the NLRB or elsewhere,” the powerful union boss said Tuesday.

“We think he deserves absolute serious consideration,” Trumka added, a signal that labor union may not go after Acosta in the same manner that they targeted Puzder. (RELATED: Liberal Activists Sent Anthrax Scare To Puzder’s Wife)

The praise from Trumka was not the first time the AFL-CIO president spoke highly of Acosta. Immediately after Trump nominated Acosta, Trumka appeared on MSNBC’s “Meet the Press Daily” with Chuck Todd where he said there was a possibility he would endorse Acosta for secretary of labor.

It’s noteworthy that Trumka is so supportive of Acosta, as the big labor boss was an early supporter of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for president in 2016. (Big Labor Bosses Ignore Member Support For Trump, Endorses Clinton Instead)

Acosta is a former federal prosecutor and the dean of the Florida International University College of Law in Miami. A native of Miami and first-generation lawyer, Acosta earned his undergraduate degree and Law Degree from Harvard and served as a law clerk to Justice Samuel Alito on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Acosta was a member of the National Labor Relations Board, which is something Trumka highlighted during his praise. No date has been set for Acosta’s confirmation hearing.

Follow Ted on Twitter

Send Tips to ted@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.