Last Friday, President Elect Trump nominated Lori Chavez-DeRemer for the position of U.S. Department of Labor Secretary. Ms. Chavez-DeRemer is a Republican from Oregon who recently lost her seat in the House of Representatives, representing a district that includes part of Portland, Oregon. She previously was mayor of Happy Valley, a Portland suburb. She was a one-term congressperson.
Ms. Chavez-DeRemer is more of a traditional and moderate Republican. As a member of the House, she was one of just three Republican co-sponsors of the 2023 Protecting the Right to Organize Act (Pro Act), a bill backed by 215 congressional Democrats that would expand workers’ collective-bargaining rights and supersede state right-to-work laws. Her father was a teamster, and they lobbied hard for nomination. Teamsters President Sean O’Brien voiced support for Chavez-DeRemer, saying she previously pledged “to listen to workers and find common ground to protect and respect labor in America.”
With her nomination, the new administration will be reaching out to union leadership to try build stronger relations. When the House speaker, Mike Johnson, spoke at a Chavez-DeRemer rally in October, he said, “She’s got more labor union endorsements than any Republican I’ve ever seen in my life.”
The AFL-CIO was more guarded, acknowledging her “pro-labor record,” but adding, “Donald Trump is the President-elect of the United States—not Rep. Chavez-DeRemer—and it remains to be seen what she will be permitted to do as Secretary of Labor in an administration with a dramatically anti-worker agenda.”
It should be noted that the Pro Act would have made the California ABC test for independent contractor federal law. The PRO Act would also broaden the definition of joint employment under the NLRA and weaken Right to Work state laws. Given that the current National Labor Relations Board is outwardly pro-labor to an extreme, overturning years of precedent to follow the Democrat progressive policy initiatives as laid out by NLRB General Counsel Abruzzo, Ms. Chavez-DeRemer is not considered a strong business advocate.
Although her nomination is expected to be confirmed, there will be political jockeying during the vetting process. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R., La.), said in a post on X that he “will need to get a better understanding of her support for Democrat legislation in Congress that would strip Louisiana’s ability to be a right to work state, and if that will be her position going forward.” Should have support from both parties for confirmation.
Given that the new Trump Administration plans on overturning a variety of labor department initiatives from the Biden administration, it is unclear how much Ms. Chavez-DeRemer would be willing to support these moves that would be considered by some as anti-worker. In addition, her pick does not have strong business support. “It’s a disappointing pick,” said Michael Saltsman, a partner at Berman & Co., a pro-business issue advocacy firm that has opposed pro-union policies. “I would have hoped we’d have someone who could take a more holistic view on appreciating the people who do the work as well as the people who create the jobs.”
Sources: Wall Street Journal 11/24/24, HR Dive 11/23/24, The Washington Post 11/22/24, The New York Times 11/22/24