Republicans Could Sink Trump’s Labor Pick For Being Too Pro-Union

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans don’t love President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the U.S. Department of Labor and it could spell trouble for her confirmation.

As a Republican congresswoman from Oregon, Lori Chavez-DeRemer has taken pro-labor stances that several Republican senators told HuffPost are an obstacle to her confirmation by the Senate.

“I’m not excited about her opposition to right-to-work,” said Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), referring to state laws aimed at suppressing union membership.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (Ala.) said he was “surprised” by Trump’s pick and that her record would be a problem for Republicans.

“I’m a right-to-work state, so I vote for my constituents. I don’t vote for me,” Tuberville said.

Both Paul and Tuberville are members of the Senate committee that would consider a labor secretary nomination before a full Senate vote.

Chavez-DeRemer was one of just three House Republicans to endorse the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, a Democratic bill that would reform labor law to make it easier to form unions. The legislation includes a slew of labor-friendly provisions, but the most salient for Chavez-DeRemer’s confirmation fight could be the one aimed at repealing state right-to-work laws.

Such laws allow workers to opt out of paying union dues even if they are represented by a union and enjoy the benefits of a union contract, an act unions derisively call “freeriding.” Right-to-work laws are entrenched throughout the South — and dear to the Senate’s Southern GOP delegation.

Asked for his thoughts on Chavez-DeRemer, Republican Sen. Roger Wicker (Miss.) referred directly to the line in federal law that allows for states to enact right-to-work laws.

“I don’t believe we’ve ever met, but if she voted to repeal section 14(B) of the Taft-Hartley Act, there’s some questions that need to be answered,” Wicker told HuffPost earlier this week.

Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination is an early test of whether Trump will be less hostile to unions and low-wage workers than he was in his first term. During his first White House stint, Trump made a raft of anti-union appointments that made it harder to organize workplaces and grow union membership. He also repealed a slew of regulations aimed at making jobs safer and better-paying.

But the former president courted union support during his campaign this year, and got some help from a small handful of unions that declined to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris despite typically backing Democrats. That included the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, whose president, Sean O’Brien, visited with Trump and apparently pushed Chavez-DeRemer for the labor secretary role.

The populist rhetoric of Trump and Vice President-elect Sen. JD Vance (Ohio) has led to talk of a GOP shift on labor and work issues. But if Republicans try to sink Chavez-DeRemer’s confirmation because of her union-friendly record, it would be clear the idea of a broader party realignment is overbaked.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), one of several younger Republicans who’ve styled themselves as champions of the working class, said Chavez-DeRemer was a great choice.

“I’d say to my GOP colleagues, like, just, you know, relax, take some deep breaths. It’s OK. The fact that she’s very pro-worker, you know? I mean, it’s all going to be fine,” Hawley told reporters. “Donald Trump ran on a pro-worker platform, so I think it’s a good sign that he’s delivering on that.”

Republicans will control 53 Senate seats next year, meaning they can lose only three and win a vote without Democratic support. It’s likely that plenty of Republicans would support Chavez-DeRemer out of deference to Trump, and some will back her enthusiastically.

It’s also possible that some Democrats would support her. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) indicated earlier this week that she would be open to doing so. Warren told HuffPost on Tuesday that she could envision enough Democrats stepping in to get Chavez-DeRemer confirmed.

“Democrats are taking a good look at all of the nominees. It’s clear that some are beyond disqualified and should be nowhere near any government post, but others may have the right qualifications,” Warren said. “We need to see the FBI background checks on everyone, as is standard practice, and we need a chance to meet them and ask questions.”

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) called Chavez-DeRemer an “incredibly strong pro-labor choice” and said her nomination was a “smart play” by Trump. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) called her “fairly innocuous.”

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) noted “there is a big gap between her positions on labor issues and working families and those of Donald Trump.”