Overview

Andrew Franklin Puzder is the former CEO of CKE Restaurants; the parent company of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's fast food chains; who was nominated by Donald Trump to serve as U.S. Secretary of Labor in 2016 but withdrew his nomination in February 2017 amid a cascade of scandals. Puzder was a vocal opponent of minimum wage increases; paid sick leave; and the Affordable Care Act; positions that made his nomination to lead the department protecting workers deeply controversial. His nomination collapsed when it was revealed that he had employed an undocumented immigrant as a housekeeper for years without paying employment taxes; and only "corrected" the situation after being nominated for the cabinet. More damaging were allegations of domestic abuse from his ex-wife Lisa Fierstein; who had appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1990 wearing a disguise to describe abuse she said she suffered; though she later recanted her allegations in a 1990s divorce settlement. A tape of the Oprah appearance surfaced during his confirmation process. Multiple CKE employees also came forward to describe a workplace culture of sexual harassment and objectification of women; consistent with the company's advertising strategy of using provocatively dressed women to sell hamburgers. Puzder also faced scrutiny for his opposition to overtime pay rules and for CKE's extensive record of labor violations; including wage theft complaints.

Key Affiliations

Controversies & Concerns

Related Investigations (1)

Known Associates & Connections

Sources & Documentation

1 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports