President-elect Trump's choice for secretary of labor has raised concerns from organized labor advocates and business groups. The unusual pro-labor choice could signal a new, more receptive stance toward unions in the Republican Party, which has long resisted pro-labor policies.
Rep. Lori Chavez Delemer (R-Ore.) was elected following a recent surge in popularity among labor unions and Teamsters President Sean O'Brien's precedent-breaking appearance at the Republican National Convention in July. reflects the growing political importance of trade unions. A post-election vote for workers in which working-class voters drove high turnout for Trump and the Republican Party.
Chavez Delemer, who lost his own re-election bid in November in Oregon's 5th Congressional District, is one of only three Republicans in Congress to support him. PRO Acta sweeping labor law that curbs the so-called gig economy and increases workers' rights to organize.
She was also one of only eight Republicans to co-sponsor. similar invoice It aims to strengthen public sector unions, which have been heavily criticized by conservatives in various forms, including the Heritage Foundation's planned Project 2025.
Although these bills have little chance of passing in their current form in a Republican Congress, labor experts say the decision to put one of the few Republican supporters at the head of the Labor Department is an unusual move by conservatives. -Told Hill. It may indicate a change in power relations.
“Trump was very transactional,” Arthur Wheaton, director of labor studies at the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Buffalo Collaborative, said in an interview. “Labour got me over the finish line and I got some advice from Sean O'Brien. … I think he was the one whispering in my ear.”
O'Brien, who has made national headlines in recent years amid the Teamsters' strike against UPS and Amazon's driver unionization effort, strongly supported and congratulated Chavez Delemer on his nomination. , thanked Trump for choosing her.
“North America's strongest union stands ready to work with you every step of the way,” he said in a social media post.
Other prominent voices of organized labor followed suit. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, called Chavez Delemer's nomination “significant.”
“Her record suggests real support for workers and the right to unionize. I hope that means Trump [administration] It will actually respect collective bargaining and the voices of workers, from Teamsters to teachers,” she posted online.
In a more measured tone, some also questioned whether her executive branch bosses would allow Chávez Delemer to pursue the pro-worker agenda that her legislative history suggests. . The AFL-CIO, America's main labor union, poured cold water on the nomination, describing the incoming administration as “deeply anti-worker.”
“Donald Trump is the next president of the United States, not Congressman Chavez Delemer, and it remains to be seen what she will be allowed to do as labor secretary in an administration with dramatic anti-worker policies. ” he said. the group said in a statement.
Labor groups say the policies give Chávez Delemer an opportunity to pursue truly pro-worker policies.
The Economic Policy Institute, a worker-centered D.C. think tank, cited crackdowns on wage theft, safety inspections by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, thresholds for overtime pay, and protection of immigration status as issues requiring attention.
“[The payroll auditing program] “This system was enacted during the Trump administration and essentially allows employers who steal workers' wages to confess and be freed from prison,” the group said in its analysis. Ta. “Chavez Delemer should make it harder, not easier, for employers to steal workers' wages.”
While trade unions reacted to Chávez Delemer's nomination with varying degrees of enthusiasm and skepticism, the reaction from business organizations was decidedly more critical.
The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, an umbrella group for trade groups from many industries, said last week it was “alarmed” by the prospect of Chavez Delemer being nominated as labor secretary.
Kristen Swearingen, the group's president, said the bill is “President Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders' signature bill, and a majority of Republicans oppose it,” especially the PRO Act. It cited support as a reason for concern.
Labor rights groups opposed to unions and organized labor were outraged by the potential nomination, saying the National Labor Rights Committee was not in long-term Republican interests.
“A small number of trade union leaders will praise her and Big Labor will continue to campaign vigorously to elect a Democrat in the 2028 presidential election,” the group said.
Chavez Delemer is a supporter of Democratic labor laws and is in the midst of several regulatory changes that occurred between the Trump and Biden administrations. Her position is further complicated by the fact that she voted with her own party to block Joint employer rules The move was made earlier this year as part of a broader effort by Republicans to overturn President Biden's labor rulemakings.
Of particular interest to labor lawyers is Chavez Delemer's position on employee classification policies introduced during President Trump's first term and later made more demanding of companies under the Biden administration.
Trump-era rules made it easier for companies to list employees on their books as “independent contractors” rather than “employees,” which typically has greater protections in various states.
“I'm very interested to see whether she, as secretary of labor, will support an alternative to the Trump administration's regulations enacted in 2021,” Camille Olsen, a labor and employment partner at Seyfarth Shaw, told The Hill. There is,” he said. “I think that's an important issue.”
If Chávez Delemer ends up aligning more closely with traditional Republican positions on labor issues, labor sensitivities may still be in the process of leaving a new mark within the party.
In response to East Coast longshoremen's strike in October, President Trump said in a statement, “American workers should be able to bargain for better wages,'' a stance he did not want to be seen as anti-union. showed.
