Trump's unusual labor secretary pick - could have an impact at home

President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of Oregon’s U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer as labor secretary is among the more unusual and intriguing cabinet picks he’s made, and her appointment could have an impact on partisan politics — notably in Oregon.

The Republican, who lost Oregon’s 5th Congressional District seat last month to Democratic state Rep. Janelle Bynum, has become an unlikely pivotal national figure. With only a single term in the U.S. House and a small-town mayoralty on her resume, Chavez-DeRemer is set to run the Department of Labor, which is tasked with fostering and developing the welfare of workers, job seekers and retirees, according to its mission statement. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, she’ll also be in charge of improving working conditions, promoting employment and protecting workers’ rights, which could become a flashpoint in the next couple of years.

Unlike some of the other cabinet nominees, such as the flamed-out Matt Gaetz for attorney general, Chavez-DeRemer does not enter this arena with any heavy baggage or evident scandals. Her election loss was narrow, running against a strong opponent and in a Democratic-leaning district that’s difficult for a Republican.

Chavez-DeRemer endorsed Trump well before the general election, but she developed a reputation as a relatively moderate Republican while representing her district. That, with the fact that she is a Latina, may have combined to give her some advantage in the contest for a seat on the cabinet.

There is another factor, too, unusual among Republican secretaries of labor: She has a personal connection to labor unions and support from a number of them. She has family connections to unions — her father was a member of the Teamsters — and she attracted some union support during the last campaign.

She also was a rare Republican supporter of the PRO Act, which was intended to make union organizing easier and was backed by the Biden administration but did not clear Congress. She also supported another unsuccessful measure aimed at protecting public sector workers from losing Social Security benefits if they receive pensions as well. Both measures mainly failed because most other Republicans in Congress opposed them.

All this seems to make her much closer to organized labor than most Republican administration labor secretaries. Labor unions have considered most past Republican administrations as hostile to their efforts, and many have had corporate rather than labor backgrounds.

Several news reports said that the Teamsters pushed for her appointment. Shortly after the Chavez-DeRemer announcement, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler commented that she “has built a pro-labor record in Congress.”

Shuler added, however: “But Donald Trump is the President-elect of the United States — not Rep. Chavez-DeRemer — and it remains to be seen what she will be permitted to do as secretary of labor in an administration with a dramatically anti-worker agenda.”

All of this happens against the background of political cross-currents.

On one side, there’s the significant number of votes Trump received this year from workers in or allied with labor unions. Chavez-DeRemer’s placement could be intended as a way for a business-oriented Republican administration to build bridges to them.

To the extent that happens, it could affect Oregon politics. Democratic party success in Oregon is tightly tied to labor organizations, especially public sector unions. To the extent the Trump administration is seen as friendly rather than hostile, a significant curve ball could be thrown into politics back home. A disruption in the labor-Democratic relationship could make for big changes locally.

But squaring that with the generally business-oriented tenor of the administration won’t be easy, as the second part of Shuler’s comment makes clear. Business interests and leaders who have supported Trump were expecting a more business-oriented nominee, and some already have made plain their displeasure with the nominee.

Shortly before Trump delivered the nomination, the anti-regulatory Competitive Enterprise Institute blasted her as unqualified for the job and said, “What we do know is not encouraging. In any event, cabinet secretary shouldn’t be a place for on-the-job training. Trump should keep on looking.”

The apparent likelihood is that Chavez-DeRemer, if she holds to her labor-allied path in Congress, would be swimming against the Trump administration’s overall tide. And that could prove a serious challenge for even the most skilled and experienced of Washington operators, let alone a relative rookie.

So that begs the question: Will Chavez-DeRemer move the curve on conventional Republican politics and labor unions, or will she be ground up in conflict surrounding the incoming Trump administration?

Smart money probably is on the latter. But it’s a story yet to be written.

Randy Stapilus has researched and written about Northwest politics and issues since 1976 for a long list of newspapers and other publications. A former newspaper reporter and editor, and more recently an author and book publisher, he lives in Carlton.

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