Peter Joseph Brennan ( May 24 , 1918 – October 2 , 1996 ) was United States Secretary of Labor under Presidents Nixon and Ford . He served between February 2 , 1973 and March 15 , 1975 . Brennan had previously been the president of both the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York and the Building and Construction Trades Council of New York , and returned to the former position after leaving the Ford administration . He was a strong opponent of affirmative action measures to increase the number of minority construction workers . Following the Hard Hat Riot of May 8 , 1970 , Brennan was wooed by the Nixon administration as a potential supporter in the 1972 presidential election . His work for Nixon in that election was crucial in increasing the vote for Nixon in New York and in the union movement
Hard Hat Riot
Hard Hat Riot
Peter J. Brennan