After the embarrassing withdrawal of his last nominee, Andrew Puzder, President Trump’s new pick for Labor Secretary — Alexander Acosta, a “well-respected public servant” — might look like a safe choice.  As the President has pointed out, Acosta has a strong track record: he has already won Senate confirmation for three previous positions, as a senior official in the Justice Department, a federal prosecutor, and a member of the NLRB.  But this time Acosta could face obstacles.  As POLITICO notes, the new nominee has expressed a moderate position on immigration that could put him at odds with immigration hard-liners like Steve Bannon (Breitbart has already criticized Acosta for supporting amnesty for undocumented immigrants and “cheap foreign labor”).  Meanwhile, Acosta’s stance on important labor issues — such as overtime pay — remains unclear, causing concern to labor advocates.  The American Prospect has more.

On Friday, President Trump visited workers at a Boeing plant in South Carolina — only days after they voted against unionization — to reiterate his campaign-trail promises.  Trump pledged to put Americans “back to work” and raise wages (“We love our workers, and we are going to protect our workers,” he declared) but made no mention of the failed union bid, The Atlantic reports.  The President’s “loud silence” on unions is unsurprising — his relationship with organized labor has often been contentious —but union leaders can’t afford to ignore him back.  His support among union members is high, and some of his early moves — such as his rejection of the TPP trade deal and his plan to renegotiate NAFTA — have aligned him with certain unions.  Some union leaders have already reported having productive meetings with the President, and others could follow.  On the unfolding relationship between the President and organized labor, the New York Times has more.

And lastly, as concerns mount over the threat of automation to human jobs, Bill Gates has come up with a solution: tax the robots.  In an interview with Quartz, the Microsoft founder argues that governments should tax companies’ use of automated labor, raising funds to support other kinds of employment.  Meanwhile, Finland has opted for another solution.  The Finnish government is experimenting with a universal basic income, giving 2,000 individuals a guaranteed income for two years.  The Guardian has more.