WASHINGTON (AP) — Working-class voters helped Republicans make steady electoral gains this year and expanded a coalition that increasingly includes rank-and-file union members, a political shift that is putting the spotlight on one of President-elect Donald Trump’s latest Cabinet picks: a Republican congresswoman , who received employment support, will be his labor secretary.
Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her bid for a second term this month despite powerful support from union members, a key part of the Democratic base but one that is leaning toward a Republican Party in the Trump era. which is traditionally associated with business interests.
“Lori’s strong support from both 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, wealthier, stronger and more prosperous than ever before!” Trump said on Friday evening in a statement announcing his choice.
For decades, unions sided with Democrats and were largely met with hostility by Republicans. But because of Trump’s populist appeal, a decent share of the union base voted for Republicans in his labor base this year, even as major unions including the AFL-CIO and the United Auto Workers supported Democrat Kamala Harris’ White House race.
Trump sat down with union leadership and members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters this year, and when he emerged from that meeting he boasted that a significant portion of union voters supported him. Of possible Teamsters support, he said, “Stranger things have happened.”
The Teamsters ultimately declined to endorse either Trump, the former president, or Harris, the vice president, even though Chairman Sean O’Brien had a prominent speaking slot at the Republican National Convention.
Kara Deniz, a Teamsters spokeswoman, told the Associated Press that O’Brien met with more than a dozen House Republicans last week to lobby on Chavez-DeRemer’s behalf. “Chavez-DeRemer would be an excellent choice for labor secretary and has his support,” Deniz said.
The Department of Labor’s work affects, among other things, workers’ wages, health and safety, the ability to unionize, and the right of employers to fire employers.
On Election Day, Trump increased his support among voters without a college degree, after narrowly leading Democrat Joe Biden among voters without a college degree in 2020. Trump made modest gains, gaining a clear majority of that group, while only about 4 in 10 supported Harris, according to AP VoteCast, a comprehensive survey of more than 120,000 voters nationwide.
About 18% of voters in this year’s election came from union households, with Harris winning the majority of the group. But Trump’s performance with union members kept him competitive and helped him win key states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Chavez-DeRemer was one of the few Republicans in the House to support the Protecting the Right to Organize, or PRO, Act, which would allow more workers to mount organizing campaigns and impose penalties on companies that violate workers’ rights. The measure would weaken “right to work” laws that allow workers in more than half of states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their workplaces.
During Trump’s first term, his appointees across the government, including those on the National Labor Relations Board, pursued decidedly pro-business policies. Trump, a real estate developer and businessman before he won the presidency, generally supported measures that would make it harder for workers to unionize.
During his recent campaign, Trump criticized union bosses and once suggested that UAW members should not pay their dues. His first administration did expand overtime eligibility rules, but not nearly as far as Democrats wanted, and a Trump-appointed judge has since struck down the Biden administration’s more generous overtime rules.
He has staffed his up-to-date administration with officials who worked on the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025,” which calls for a acute shift from Biden’s pro-union policies.
“Chavez-DeRemer’s record suggests that she understands the value of taking action to strengthen workers’ rights and economic security,” said Rebecca Dixon, president and CEO of the National Employment Law Project, which is supported by many of the country’s major unions becomes. “But the Trump administration’s agenda fundamentally contradicts these principles and threatens to roll back workplace protections, undermine collective bargaining and put corporate profits ahead of the needs of working people.” This is where their true commitment to workers will be tested placed.”
Other union leaders also expressed praise but also expressed caution.
“Educators and working families across the country will be watching as she moves through the confirmation process,” National Education Association President Becky Pringle said in a statement, “and hoping to hear a commitment from her to continue to advocate for workers.” and students, as their record shows, rather than blind loyalty to the Project 2025 agenda.”
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler welcomed the choice but was careful to note that Trump has opposed policies supporting unions in the past.
“It remains to be seen what she will be allowed to do as labor secretary in an administration with a dramatically anti-worker agenda,” Shuler said.
