Just a week into the second Trump Administration, we’re starting to get a glimpse of what the Trump Department of Labor (DOL) may look like. Here’s what we’ve seen so far:
Secretary of Labor. The biggest surprise has been at the top. President Trump has nominated Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a former Congresswoman from Oregon, to be Secretary of Labor. Chavez-DeRemer lost her bid for reelection to Congress back in November. The surprise stems from her support for union-friendly legislation and is punctuated by the full-throated endorsement by the Teamsters for her nomination. While in Congress, Congressman Chavez-DeRemer was a co-sponsor of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would have made union organizing and collective bargaining easier for unions. Expect her confirmation to be bumpy.
While Chavez-DeRemer winds through the confirmation process, the Acting Secretary at the helm of the department will be Vince Micone. Micone has been in an administrative position with DOL for the last two years and served in several other federal agencies beforehand.
Deputy Secretary. Bringing back a blast from the past, the President appointed Keith Sonderling to be the Deputy Secretary of Labor. Sonderling served in the first Trump Administration as the Acting Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division, responsible for enforcing the Fair Labor Standards Act and other wage related laws. He is credited with the creation of DOL’s self-audit program which allowed employers to correct wage errors on their own. After his stint at Wage and Hour, Sonderling served as the vice chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Sonderling is viewed by advocates on both sides of the aisle as a straight shooter.
EEOC Chair. Although the Commission will have a Democratic majority until 2026, President Trump has appointed Andrea Lucas, the sole Republican appointee on the current Commission, to serve as its Chair. Before her appointment, Lucas was an employment defense lawyer with a large corporate firm. During her tenure on the Commission, Lucas supported guidance protecting worker’s religious rights and opposed the Commission’s final rules under the Pregnant Worker’s Fairness Act and protections for LGBTQ workers.
Obviously, there’s much more to come to fill out the roster at DOL. We’re especially interested to see if the President will replace the current General Counsels at the EEOC and the National Labor Relations Board. We’ll keep you posted.
If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact Al Vreeland at 205-323-9266 or avreeland@lehrmiddlebrooks.com.
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