NELP: Nomination Highlights Tension Between Pro-Worker Promises and Trump’s Project 2025 Anti-Labor Policies
NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT LAW PROJECT
The National Employment Law Project (NELP) recognizes Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer is a somewhat unexpected nominee to serve as Labor Secretary. Her steady support for workers’ right to collectively bargain, and her recognition that the deck is stacked against workers who want to join a union, puts her at odds with virtually all other Republican Members of Congress. Her support for the Richard Trumka PRO Act and the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act demonstrates an understanding of the importance of unions, collective bargaining, and protections for working families.
However, Chavez-DeRemer’s moderate stances cannot mask the broader Trump administration agenda she would serve—one that threatens to roll back hard-won worker protections. Her nomination should not be used to project an image of a labor-friendly administration while pursuing policies that jeopardize the rights of workers, particularly people of color, women, immigrants, LGBTQ individuals, and those with disabilities.
“Chavez-DeRemer’s record suggests she understands the value of policies that strengthen workers’ rights and economic security,” said Rebecca Dixon, President and CEO of NELP. “But the Trump administration’s agenda is fundamentally at odds with these principles, threatening to roll back workplace protections, undermine collective bargaining, and prioritize corporate profits over the needs of working people. This is where her true commitment to workers will be tested.”