Washington (AP) A political shift that highlighted one of President-elect Donald Trump’s most recent Cabinet picks—a GOP congresswoman who has garnered labor support to be his labor secretary—was brought about by working-class voters, who helped Republicans make consistent election gains this year and broadened a coalition that increasingly includes rank-and-file union members.
Despite strong support from union members, a significant portion of the Democratic base that has been shifting toward a Republican Party historically associated with corporate interests under the Trump administration, Oregon Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemern narrowly lost her quest for a second term last month.
The Labor Department will be able to bring Americans from all walks of life together behind our Agenda for Unprecedented National Success—Making America Richer, Wealthier, Stronger, and More Prosperous than ever before—thanks to Lori’s strong support from the business and labor sectors. Trump said Friday night in a statement outlining his decision.
Labor unions have supported Democrats for decades, and Republicans have generally responded negatively to them. Even while prominent unions, such as the AFL-CIO and the United Auto Workers, endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris in the White House election, Trump’s populist appeal caused a sizable portion of his working-class supporters to vote for Republicans this year.
Trump boasted that a sizable portion of union voters were supporting him after meeting with the leadership and members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters this year. “Stranger things have happened,” he said in reference to a potential Teamsters endorsement.
Despite having a significant speaking slot at the Republican National Convention, the Teamsters eventually chose not to support either former President Trump or Vice President Harris.
This past week, O Brien met with over a dozen House Republicans to lobby for Chavez-DeRemer, Teamsters spokesman Kara Deniz told the Associated Press. According to Deniz, Chavez-DeRemer is a great candidate for labor secretary and has his support.
Among other duties, the Labor Department’s activity impacts workers’ pay, health and safety, unionization potential, and employers’ rights to fire employees.
After trailing Democrat Joe Biden by a slim margin among voters without college degrees in 2020, Trump gained more support among this demographic on election day. According to AP VoteCast, a comprehensive survey of over 120,000 voters nationally, Trump made slight gains and garnered a definite majority of this demographic, while only roughly 4 out of 10 favored Harris.
In this year’s election, Harris won a majority of union households, which accounted for about 18% of the total number of votes. However, Trump remained competitive and won important states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin thanks to his performance among union members.
One of the few Republicans in the House, Chavez-DeRemer supported the PRO Act, which would increase the number of workers who could organize and impose fines on businesses that infringe on workers’ rights. The bill would weaken the right-to-work rules that permit workers in over half of the states to avoid joining or contributing to unions that represent them at work.
Trump’s appointments across the administration, including those on the National Labor Relations Board, adopted strong pro-business policies during his first term. Trump, who was a businessman and real estate developer prior to becoming president, has typically supported laws that would make it more difficult for employees to form unions.
Trump attacked union officials throughout his most recent campaign, even going so far as to say that UAW members shouldn’t be required to pay dues. Though not nearly as much as Democrats desired, his first administration did broaden overtime eligibility requirements, and the more lenient overtime regulations of the Biden administration have since been overturned by a court selected by Trump.
Officials who worked on the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 program, which features a dramatic departure from Biden’s pro-union policies, have been piled into his next government.
According to Rebecca Dixon, president and CEO of the National Employment Law Project, which is supported by numerous significant labor organizations in the nation, Chavez-DeRemer’s record indicates that she recognizes the need of laws that enhance workers’ rights and economic security. However, these ideals are essentially at war with the Trump administration’s plan, which threatens to weaken collective bargaining, reduce worker rights, and put corporate profits ahead of working people’s needs. Her genuine dedication to employees will be put to the test here.
While expressing gratitude, some union officials also cautioned.
In a statement, Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, said that educators and working families nationwide will be watching her as she goes through the confirmation process and hope to hear her promise to stick up for workers and students as her record indicates rather than blindly following the Project 2025 agenda.
Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, praised the decision but pointed out that Trump has a history of rejecting policies that assist unions.
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, Shuler said.
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