'Disappointed': Business groups turn on Trump after he ignored 'better' labor choices

Concerns from some Republican lawmakers over President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to become the nation’s next labor secretary has spread to the business community.

The pro-union record of Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s (R-OR) rattled Republicans on Capitol Hill after Trump tapped her to oversee the Labor Department. And now employers nationwide are looking for alternative avenues to ensure “business-friendly contacts” are installed at other key government departments and within the administration, Politico reported Thursday.

That includes submitting names to Trump transition officials to fill other top posts inside the department, such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, to help ease concerns over Trump’s intended nominee, according to the publication.

“Disappointed is fair, to say the least,” a business group official who handles labor issues told the outlet of Trump’s selection of Chavez-DeRemer. “Obviously there were better choices out there from our perspective.”

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What’s worrying to some Republicans and employers is the Oregon lawmaker's pro-union stances, including being one of only three in her party to cosponsor the PRO Act, which protects workers’ rights to organize, according to the report. She also cosponsored the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, which requires all states to recognize public-sector unions.

“The maneuvering underscores how eager businesses are to turn the corner on what they see as the Biden administration’s baldly pro-union, anti-employer tilt on issues ranging from overtime pay to heat exposure protections for workers,” Politico noted. “While Chavez-DeRemer may turn out to be a strong ally in what is expected to be a very pro-business Trump White House, they want some assurances," according to the report.

But, the outlet added that Trump’s selection of “a union supporter” also reflects “the strong inroads Trump made with working-class voters, union and non-union alike.”

Chavez-DeRemer secured the backing of Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, whose union did not endorse a presidential candidate this year despite backing a candidate for almost two decades.