Labor secretary nominee's company outsourced jobs

WASHINGTON (AP) — The fast-food empire run by President Donald Trump's pick for Labor secretary outsourced its technology department to the Philippines, a move that runs counter to Trump's mantra to keep jobs in the United States

A filing with the Department of Labor and Trump's criticism of outsourcing could be raised at Andrew Puzder's confirmation hearing, with Democrats questioning how well he can advocate for workers.

Puzder's company, CKE Restaurants Inc., notified the government in August 2010 that it was outsourcing its restaurant information technology division to the Philippines. Doing so, the agency found, "contributed importantly" to the layoffs of both CKE employees and those of an outside staffing firm at an Anaheim, Calif., facility. The agency's finding made workers eligible for federally funded benefits meant to dampen the impact of globalization on employees.

"By outsourcing the function to a firm that employs hundreds of Help Desk specialists, CKE was able to improve the quality of service levels to their restaurants," the company said in a statement Wednesday to The Associated Press.

There's nothing illegal, or even uncommon, about CKE's decision to move its help desk overseas and lay off about 20 workers. But the filing – and a spokesman's acknowledgement that CKE continues to use the IT operation in the Philippines – provides a window into a key contradiction raised by Trump's nomination of Puzder to head the Cabinet agency charged with enforcing worker rights.