The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) praised President-elect Donald Trump's pick for labor secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, asserting that she has "built a strong pro-worker record" while protecting the right to organize. 

“We look forward to working with Ms. Chavez-DeRemer and your administration on legislation and policies that protect workers' rights and safety, and honors their commitment to building a strong economy for our great nation,” ILA President Harold Daggett said in a November 24 letter to Trump.

Chavez-DeRemer — who is widely viewed as a moderate within the Republican Party and is the daughter of a Teamster — narrowly lost her bid for reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives in November, after serving just one term representing Oregon's 5th Congressional District. While in office, she was one of three Republicans in Congress to co-sponsor the Democrat-led PRO Act, which would have banned employers from holding mandatory meetings to dissuade workers from unionizing, strengthened the rights of workers to organize, and allowed the National Labor Relations Board to fine employers for violating labor laws. According to Politico, Teamsters president Sean O'Brien was also reportedly among those pushing Trump to tag Chavez-DeRemer to lead the Department of Labor. O'Brien spoke at the Republican National Convention in July, while the Teamsters declined to endorse a presidential candidate altogether, despite a history of supporting Democrats dating back to 1996. 

Other labor groups have expressed doubts about Chavez-DeRemer's qualifications, with national trade union AFL-CIO assigning her a 10% score on its legislative scorecard that rates members of Congress based on their support for working families. And although AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler acknowledged in a November 22 statement that Chavez-DeRemer has supported organized labor in the past, "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."

"Despite having distanced himself from Project 2025 during his campaign, President-elect Trump has put forward several cabinet nominees with strong ties to Project 2025," Shuler added. "That 900-page document has proposals that would strip overtime pay, eliminate the right to organize, and weaken health and safety standards."