'Posturing': Trump’s labor secretary pick only backed pro-worker bills 10% of the time

04 December 2024

Former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), who President-elect Donald Trump picked to head the U.S. Department of Labor, has been viewed by Democrats as one of his least offensive Cabinet appointments. But her reportedly pro-labor record is being scrutinized in a new report.

International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Sean O'Brien has endorsed Trump's nomination of the Oregon Republican (the daughter of a Teamsters member). More Perfect Union founder Faiz Shakir — who was Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) presidential campaign manager in 2020 — called her a "pro-labor pick" in an interview with MSNBC's Alex Wagner. But according to a Wednesday article by the American Prospect's Hassan Ali Kanu, Chavez-DeRemer's supposedly pro-worker bona fides don't hold up.

Chavez-DeRemer is known for being one of the few Republican sponsors of the PRO (Protecting the Right to Organize) Act, which makes it easier for workers to organize unions in the workplace. However, Kanu noted that Trump's labor secretary-designate didn't add her name to the list of cosponsors until July, approximately four months after its two other House Republican supporters — Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Christopher Smith (R-N.J.) — backed it, and well after its failure to pass the House was assured. She notably declined to co-sponsor the bill in 2023.

University of Calfornia-Los Angeles labor historian Trevor Griffey told the Prospect that Chavez-DeRemer's support of the PRO Act could be more accurately described as "posturing in a swing district." He added that "political support for the PRO Act or any other labor rights should be measured by votes and not declarations of intent."

Kanu found that the one-term lawmaker (she lost to Democrat Janelle Bynum in November) only supported pro-worker legislation 10% of the time according to her AFL-CIO scorecard. While that's slightly higher than the Republican average of 6%, the average House Democrat's score is 99%.

"She voted in favor of a bill that would undermine the unemployment insurance program, for example, including by penalizing recipients for inadvertent errors; and for legislation that would loosen regulation of health benefits and allow employers to offer plans that aren’t backed by adequate reserves," Kanu wrote. "Chavez-DeRemer has also voted against one of the biggest labor priorities of the past decade—a 'joint employer' rule to restrict companies’ ability to effectively outsource certain legal, pay, and benefits obligations to third parties, like contractors and franchisees."

According to the Prospect, Chavez-DeRemer has also "staked out a slate of now-standard Republican positions" that make her more palatable to Trump. This includes "skirting the question" when the Oregonian asked her directly in 2022 if she believed President Joe Biden was the true winner of the 2020 election. In her 2022 bid for Congress, Chavez-DeRemer also ran on red meat "culture war" issues popular with the GOP base, like opposition to transgender rights and climate change denial.

Click here to read Kanu's full report in the American Prospect.

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