Labor Denounces Bush Nomination of Chavez as Labor Secretary;
Transportation Labor Applauds Nomination of Mineta as Transportation Secretary; Disappointed with Transition Team for Lack of Worker Voice

President-elect George W. Bush has nominated Linda Chavez to be Secretary of Labor and Norman Y. Mineta to be Secretary of Transportation the news media reported on January 2.

"We are extremely disappointed and disturbed at the nomination by President-elect Bush of Linda Chavez for Secretary of Labor," said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney in a statement issued the same day.

"It is an insult to American working men and women to put an avowed opponent of the most basic workers' rights in charge of enforcing the federal laws and regulations that protect workers' wages, employment and pension rights, equal employment opportunity and other programs for advancement."

As the appointed director of the Commission on Civil Rights in the Reagan administration, Linda Chavez favored terminating the commission and opposed working family advancement programs for women and minorities. She has been a vociferous and aggressive opponent of the federal minimum wage. And she is a strenuous objector to anti-discrimination measures including affirmative action— notwithstanding the Secretary's responsibility to manage the largest anti- discrimination and affirmative action program in the country covering 26 million employees of federal contractors (22 percent of the total civilian workforce).

"Taken together with the nominations of John Ashcroft and Gale Norton, the tapping of Chavez sounds a noisy alarm about President-elect Bush's intended stewardship of civil rights and women's rights, workers' rights and the environment," Sweeney said. Ultra-conservative Ashcroft was nominated for Attorney General and anti-environment activist Norton was nominated as Secretary of the Interior.

On Jan. 9 Chavez withdrew her name from consideration and two days later Bush selected Elaine Chao as his new nominee to run the Department of Labor. Chao is former president and CEO of United Way and also served as director of the Peace Corps and deputy secretary of transportation under former President Bush.

After the announcement of Chao's selection, Sweeney — who has served with Chao as a board member of the United Way — said, "the AFL-CIO strongly believes that the continued strength of today's economy and the security of America's working families depends upon government, labor and management working together on important common issues. We will certainly support any nominee who shares this perspective."

Norman Mineta is currently Secretary of Commerce, and a former chairman of the House Public Works and Transportation Committee.

A Democrat, Mineta said that he would work for bipartisan consensus in transportation policy.

"There are no Democratic or Republican highways. There is no such thing as Democratic or Republican railroads, ships, barges or pipelines," Mineta said. He said that a sound infrastructure was part of sustaining growth and prosperity.

"We are extremely pleased that someone of the stature and caliber of Norman Mineta has been nominated to serve as Secretary of Transportation in the Bush Administration," said Sonny Hall, President of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department in a January 3 press statement. "Secretary Mineta is a tremendous leader who understands the freight and passenger transportation needs of our nation and we look forward to working with Secretary Mineta, a strong supporter of transportation workers during his distinguished career in public office. The new administration would be well advised to heed the counsel of this highly qualified nominee."

Hall added, "we are nonetheless extremely disappointed with the blatant omission of any opportunity for input from America's transportation workers by the Bush transition advisory team on transportation. The concerns of America's transportation workers are vital to a comprehensive transportation policy in the 21st century. To not even be afforded a seat at the table by the transition team flies in the face of the purported policy of inclusion of the President- elect. We can only hope that the decision made to exclude transportation workers in the transition process is not representative of the next four years."