President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for labor secretary, Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR), would easily be the least conservative labor secretary in a Republican administration in a generation. She has what can only be described as dangerous positions on a number of key issues, most importantly the end of the secret ballot in union organizing elections and the imposition of collective bargaining privileges for government workers in all 50 states.
These very real dangers should not be minimized. While Chavez-DeRemer will not have the power to set the legislative agenda on Capitol Hill, there is still plenty of regulatory power she can wield as labor secretary. That said, Chavez-DeRemer also offers a unique opportunity to draw more union voters away from the Democratic Party and maybe even divorce union leadership from the Democratic Party’s other political priorities.
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