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What I've Been Reading This Week


President Trump has been all over the news as of late.  Well, actually he has been in the news pretty much non-stop since he announced his candidacy back in June 2015.  With that being said, I came across a great article on his close relationship with building-trades unions and how it is conceivable that he could be the first Republican of note to effectively pull this traditionally Democratic group into the Republican column.  Time will tell, but this article deserves to lead things off this week.

As always, below are a couple articles that caught my eye this week.


Could Donald Trump Manage to Pry Unions Away from Democrats?

Rich Yeselson has a thought provoking note about how President Trump could manage to woo a significant portion of unions away from Democrats and flip them over to the Republican side.  Of particular note, Yeselson points out that although Trump made a show of meeting with labor union leaders and members on his first full day in the Oval Office, Monday January 23rd, his efforts to court unions stretches back to his early days in the Manhattan real estate business.  Readers might also enjoy the overview of prior Republican efforts to peel off unions from Democrats, although most prior efforts have proven to be unsuccessful.


Audi's Super Bowl Equal Pay Ad Met With Cheers...& Criticism

Some readers might have heard of a football game last Sunday night.  In fact, some might have planned their entire weekend around watching the game (and commercials).  During the game, Audi aired an ad that advocated for equal pay in the workplace and stated that the company was committed to equal pay.  Equal pay had been a major talking point on the campaign trail during the election (and even before then too).  While Alexandra Bruell over at The Wall Street Journal writes that some commended Audi on its effort to bring awareness to the issue (including PepsiCo's President Brad Jakeman), others criticized Audi for apparently using the ad as "political propaganda" and embracing "liberal policies".  Ever heard of the saying you can't please everyone?  Sure seems to fit in this case...


OSHA Regulations in 2017: What To Expect

The Milwaukee Business Journal published an article earlier this week in which a few suggestions were offered as to what could happen to certain OSHA regulations this year.  While there is some ambiguity as to what the Trump administration would do with some OSHA regulations, I highlight this article to point out certain regulations that readers should keep an eye on over the coming months.


Democrats Urge Andy Puzder to Withdraw as Nominee For Labor Secretary

Earlier this week, I pointed readers to the uncertain future over whether Andy Puzder, President Trump's nominee for Labor Secretary, would ever get a confirmation hearing after repeated delays.  After it was announced that the confirmation hearing was "indefinitely" delayed, Michael Collins at USA Today writes that the hearing has just been re-set for February 16th.  Yesterday after the announcement of the new hearing date, Democrats renewed their calls for Puzder to withdraw as the nominee on the grounds that his prior record does not demonstrate a commitment to workers' rights.  I doubt this criticism will have much impact on the nomination (as Republicans already have enough votes to confirm him, if they vote along party lines).  However, it does draw attention to the matter and sets some Democrats up down the line to run for re-election (or against President Trump) with a record of having fought against the Trump administration from the get-go.

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