President-elect Donald Trump chose Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer as his candidate head the Ministry of Labor.
The Oregon House member, who narrowly lost her reelection bid earlier this month, received strong support from union members in her district.
As potential labor secretary, Chavez-DeRemer would oversee the Labor Department’s staffing and budget and lay out priorities that impact workers’ wages, health, safety and ability to unionize, as well as the right of employers to fire their employees, among other responsibilities.
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“Lori’s strong support from the business and labor communities will ensure that the Department of Labor can unite Americans of all backgrounds behind our agenda for unprecedented national success – Making America Richer , richer, stronger and more prosperous than ever! » Trump said in a statement.
Sources previously told CBS News that Chavez-DeRemer met with Trump on Thursday at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Sean O’Brienpresident of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, praised the selection in a social media post, writing that “the most powerful union in North America is ready to work with you every step of the way to grow good jobs union members and rebuild our country’s middle class.”
Chavez-DeRemer, 56, is one of the few House Republicans to support the Protecting the Right to Organize, or PRO, Act, which would allow more workers to lead union organizing drives and add penalties to companies that violate workers’ rights. The law would also weaken “right to work” laws that allow employees in more than half of states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers in their workplaces.
