Sweeney on Chavez

[michael perelman <michael@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Nathan's post bounced.

We are extremely disappointed and disturbed at the nomination by
President-elect Bush of Linda Chavez for Secretary of Labor.

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 foe of 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, women's rights, workers' rights and the
environment.

The record of Linda Chavez stands in stark contrast to the agenda that
won
the support of a majority of Americans voting in the November
elections-an
agenda that responds to the real concerns of our nation's working
families.
That agenda-grounded in respecting work and strengthening family-will
guide
our continuing struggle to assure working men and women a voice in their

nation's government.

     For information: Denise Mitchell 202/637-5340


--

Michael Perelman
Economics Department
California State University
Chico, CA 95929

Tel. 530-898-5321
E-Mail michael@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx