Dear Mr. Chairman and Senator Murray,
I am writing on behalf of the members of the Fraternal Order of Police to express our strong and unreserved support for the nomination of Eugene Scalia to be our nation’s next Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor.
His nomination comes at a pivotal time for the Labor Department, which is finalizing important rulemakings and need a confirmed and sure-handed leader at the helm who understands these issues and can work with organizations representing the rank-and-file like the FOP.
We have every confidence that Mr. Scalia will be a partner to the law enforcement community because we had the pleasure of working with him closely in the Bush Administration under then-Labor Secretary Chao to help develop overtime reform regulations in 2004. The revised rules clarified important protections for law enforcement and other public safety officers, particularly those who had some supervisor role, like sergeants, yet were still fully engaged in law enforcement operations. During this process, Mr. Scalia demonstrated a willingness to listen, the ability to lead, and a commitment to an outcome that was fair to the American worker.
While in private practice, Mr. Scalia’s clients were on the management side of the labor-management paradigm, he has always demonstrated the utmost respect for the role that unions and collective bargaining units play. After he left the Labor Department, Mr. Scalia acknowledged that” … unions are among the most effective advocates for workplace safety” and “play an important role in identifying and addressing occupational hazards.” The FOP strongly agrees.
Th FOP believes that President Trump has made an outstanding choice in nominating Eugene Scalia to be the next Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor. We have every confidence that his knowledge of labor law, his commitment to the rule of law and his understanding of the limitations the law places on him and the Department will prove him to be a highly effective Secretary. Like his predecessor, we have no doubt that the FOP and other labor organizations will always have an open door and a fair hearing before Eugene Scalia.
On behalf of the more than 349,000 members of the Fraternal Order of Police, I am proud to offer Eugene Scalia our strong and enthusiastic support. If I can provide any more information in u mi nation, please do not hesitate to contact me or Executive Director Jim Pasco in my Washington office.
Sincerely,
Patrick Yoes
National President