If there’s a current trend among D.C.-based politicians these days, it’s that labor policies will not be predictable down party lines. GOP Sen. Josh Hawley certainly raised eyebrows with his “pro-labor framework” heavily influenced by the Teamsters. Then there’s the attempted resurrection of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which is set to be reintroduced by two Democrats with support from a few Republicans, including Hawley. If this legislation actually passes, then U.S. labor law could be further reshaped beyond the current chaos being felt by employers.
The PRO Act is seeing a further twist, too, months after news circulated of the pro-Big Labor legislation having a prominent ally in Trump Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. She was confirmed this week by the Senate in a 67-32 vote with bipartisan support, but a handful of senators from both parties declined to express confidence in her wavering stances.
We recently profiled Chavez-DeRemer as a wild card after a single term as a GOP congresswoman and as the daughter of a Teamster member. She was heavily endorsed by unions, which might back away after she distanced herself from, you guessed it, the PRO Act.
Previously, Chavez-DeRemer was one of the few GOP legislators to co-sponsor the legislation, but she appears to have changed her mind during a recent Senate confirmation hearing.
“I know there has been a lot of conversation about my support of the PRO Act,” Chavez-DeRemer told lawmakers. “I recognize that that bill was imperfect.” She further explained her belief that “[t]he right-to-work is a fundamental tenet of labor laws where states have a right to choose if they want to be a right-to-work state, and that should be protected.”
The transcript continues with the following admittedly vague language:
Rand Paul: So you no longer support the aspect of the PRO Act that would’ve overturned state right-to-work laws?
Lori Chavez-DeRemer: Yeah. There were so many parts–
Rand Paul: That’s a yes?
Lori Chavez-DeRemer: Yes. Yes, sir.
Naturally, some progressives are not thrilled about this shift or with Chavez-DeRemer’s stance against raising the national minimum wage, but regardless, she is now overseeing the federal department that administers laws on employment discrimination, overtime pay, minimum wage, and unemployment insurance. And like most federal agencies, the Labor Department is experiencing turmoil during DOGE’s push for heavy layoffs in the federal workforce. This week, the Labor Department saw personnel chief Troy Finnegan resign, and Chavez-DeRemer is entering the fray amid ongoing lawsuits concerning DOGE’s authority to direct layoffs.
In the face of that upheaval, Chavez-DeRemer has issued a statement expressing her intent “[a]s a small businesswoman and the daughter of a Teamster … to work tirelessly to help President Trump” realize his vision.
Granted, it’s fair to say that Trump’s labor vision remains up in the air, at least from a public-facing standpoint, so we also can’t be sure of Chavez-DeRemer’s goals in her new position. Perhaps she can prove skeptics from both parties wrong, but currently, her wild-card status proves that she’s one to watch in the years to come.
