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President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for labor secretary, Rep. Lori Chavez-Deremer (R-OR), is a pro-union Republican, but that doesn’t mean the Trump administration will be pro-labor.
While Cabinet secretaries can do their best to influence the commander-in-chief, ultimately they must carry out the president’s policies, multiple labor experts told Vox. If they disagree with the president — especially if they refuse to implement a new policy — they have a high chance of being removed from that position.
Given Trump’s infamy Lack of interest in detailsHe can give Chavez-Deremer latitude with the day-to-day work of the agency. That means Chavez-Deremer can steer the agency in a more pro-worker direction while overseeing routine operations. However, any major rule change may require presidential approval.
As a result, it’s unclear whether having the labor secretary be more supportive of unions will translate into concrete protections for workers if Trump himself isn’t on board. In its first term, the Trump administration took a decidedly anti-labor stance, undoing it Workplace Safety Regulations And Reduced overtime protection. If the president-elect chooses to do the same this term, Chavez-Dremer will have little leeway to implement his policies or suffer the consequences.
“One thing to remember is that Secretaries work at the pleasure of the President. … It’s not an independent role,” said Heidi Schierholz, former chief economist at the Labor Department during the Obama administration and president of the left-leaning think tank Economic Policy Institute. “Far from what Trump and his top advisers want, there is a real, very clear limit to how far they can go.”
Trump’s pick is more pro-labor than that
Chavez-Deremer, a first-term congressman from a swing district in Oregon, lost a tight race for re-election in 2024.
He has one Solid pro-activist record That differs significantly from many of the positions Trump has previously supported. Chavez-DeRemer was one of only five House Republicans who supported the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO), a bill that would expand workers’ ability to unionize. Trump’s White House adviser He suggested a veto. He supported Public Service Freedom to Negotiate ActThe law, which protects public sector workers’ ability to unionize, has also been pushed back by conservatives. And he voted against a GOP effort to overturn the Biden administration’s labor rules on workers’ retirement savings. Bloomberg Law reports.
“Unions are not the enemy of small business, they’re a partner,” Chavez-Deremer — who is the daughter of a Teamsters union member — earlier told a House Education and Workforce Committee meeting, acknowledging that she’s in the “minority” of her party. During her 2024 House race, Chavez-Dieremer had the support of more than 20 local unions in her district, although her Democratic opponent garnered the support of some of the larger national unions.
“He has more labor union approval than any Republican I’ve seen in my life,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) Chavez-Dremer said at the time Campaign event in Oregon City.
Because of his track record, Chavez-Dremer’s nomination was strongly cheered by Teamsters chief Sean O’Brien, who reportedly urged Trump to choose him for the character. “Thank you @realDonaldTrump Nominates Rep. Lori Chavez-Deremer as US Labor Secretary to prioritize American workers. O’Brien said in a post on X. “You use words.”
Although Chavez-Diremer has been more pro-union than most Republicans, her overall record is important: She is rated 10 percent by the AFL-CIO for her 2023 House vote, with unions scuttling her. He adopted the policy on the vote That can hurt unemployment insurance recipients, and it gives employers more leeway in the types of health care plans they offer.
“All other employment rights, minimum wages, overtime, [Equal Employment Opportunity] Rights, Paycheck Equity, and Paid Leave. And he didn’t co-sponsor any of those bills,” Judy Conti, director of government affairs for the National Employment Law Project, told Vox.
Despite this, however, he still marked differences with Trump.
“This record stands in stark contrast to Donald Trump’s anti-worker, anti-union record and his extreme Project 2025 agenda that will dismantle workplace protections, make it harder for workers to unionize and diminish the voice of working people,” said National Education Association President Becky Pringle gave this information in a statement.
During his first administration, Trump proposed several anti-worker regulations, including permitting Server management take more of their tips and allows Companies have more opportunities for wage theft. He spoke Regarding dismissal of workers on strikeA practice that is often illegal, in favorable terms. And she complains about how much she hates paying him Overtime of own employees.
It is not clear that the Chavez-Dremer nomination will make a policy difference
A Chávez-Dremer nomination may not make a significant policy difference if the president-elect chooses to pursue the same labor policies he championed in his first term.
Because the president has broad influence over the policies that agencies enact, secretaries often have to implement the rules they are told, even if they don’t agree with them. as Politico As detailed, secretaries may be “marginalized” by the administration they are in and even rarely consulted for advice.
“If a Cabinet secretary disagrees with an executive action, they have decision-making autonomy, but they will likely face strong pressure from the White House to resign,” said Meena Bose, dean of public policy at Hofstra University.
If confirmed as a member of his cabinet, Chávez-Diremer will be able to use his platform and position to try to influence the president and promote workers’ demands. Whether he will be able to make concrete policy changes, however, will likely depend on Trump’s openness to such ideas.
The same will be true of strikes. Labor Secretary can play a role Role in mediation of high-profile disputesLike the dock workers strike of 2024 or the rail workers strike of 2022. Acting Labor Secretary Judy Sue was only able to get involved in negotiations for the dock workers’ strike because President Joe Biden gave her permission. Chavez-Diremer can use his perch to advise Trump on future strikes, but his involvement in ending them will depend on whether he supports his involvement.
If confirmed, there may be other technical means of effecting the Chavez-Deremer principle. One such way, Conti said, could be through the labor secretary’s Office of Labor and Management Standards oversight, which has been the subject of extraordinary administrative scrutiny by past Republican administrations to unions. It is possible that Chavez-Deremer could direct the office not to target unions in this way.
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), a separate entity from the Department of Labor, would also play a major role in setting policy and organizing for unions. Thus, Trump’s staffing of the NLRB may also be a significant factor in shaping the administration’s approach to labor.
Overall, however, experts told Vox there are only so many opportunities for Cabinet secretaries to break with their administrations. As a result, Trump’s decision to select a more pro-worker Secretary of Labor may be more of a messaging strategy than a substantive one.
