Watching the Lori Chavez-DeRemer hearing.Chairman Cassidy starts right in attacking Biden, Democrats and CDR's co-sponsorship of the PRO Act which would have made it easier for unions to organize Bernie then expresses with his appreciation for Biden as the most labor President in modern history 1/* Bernie goes into attack on the billionaires who are controlling our government and economy while "over 60% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck" and we Americans die so early. "We need a labor secretary who will be a champion for working families" 2/ Bernie: We need a Labor Secretary who supports raising the minimum wage, support workers' right to organize, who supports ending Right-to-Work, who supports paid family and medical leave, who understands that women shouldn't earn .75 on the dollar compared to men. 3/ Praises her for her relatively pro-union record and her support of many unions. But his concern is that she will be charged with enforcing labor laws and being the Pres. advisor "Will you be a rubber stamp for Musk and the billionaires or will you stand with working people across the country? 4/ Markwayne Mullen (R-OK), introduces her, sends message to both D's & R's (like Rand Paul, who is threatening to oppose her) calling for bipartisanship because she's so centerist, and we all support working class Americans (waves flag), kumbaya, etc. (Ding ding! YOU get a trip to Mar-A-Lago.) 5/
Chavez de-Remer: Trump is the great working class hero, getting 59% of Teamster vote. Her father was a Teamster (Sean O'Brien is eating this up!). Small businesswoman. Giving her insight into what it takes to be a small business owner (Is she nominated for Labor or Small Business Admin?) 6/ Re. her support of Pro Act. Labor laws need to be updates and PRO Act was the vehicle, even though it wasn't perfect. But now I'm not a moderate Republican, I'm on the Trump Train. But door, fairness, etc. Every American has the chance to thrive, real solutions, blah, blah, blah 7/ Cassidy: Dives into Pro Act which is not pro worker, it's pro union. DO YOU STILL SUPPORT THE PRO ACT? CDR: I will be Labor Sec, Congress makes the laws. I was an Oregon lawmaker and wanted a seat at the table, but I'm no longer a lawmaker. 8/ Cassidy: PRO Act impacts franchises. Do you support small businesses? CDR: Yes. And I'll look at regulations. Cassidy: Independent Contractors like moms and child care workers. PRO Act tried to impose 1-size-fits-all rule. Will you refrain from any rule that restricts independent contractors? 9/ Bernie: Describes PRO Act: 1.Unions have enormous support. Millions want to join unions 2.But they can't because corporations break the law every day (firings, captive audience,plant closings) 3. PRO Act simply prohibits illegal behavior so workers can make a choce 4.Do you support the PRO Act? 10/ CDR: "I support the American Worker. President Trump..." Bernie cuts her off: "That's what everyone says. I assume you no longer support the Pro act. She supports Butch Lewis Act (which protects workers' pensions) 11/ Do you support raising the minimum wage? CDR: The Congress makes the laws. I have nothing to do with it. Bernie: What's your opinion? CDR: It should probably be higher for some. But Portland workers should get a higher wage than Grants Pass 12/ Bernie: Are you concerned that we have a non-functioning NLRB? CDR: NLRB is important, but Trump's gonna do what Trump's gonna do. 13/ Rand Paul (R-Ky): Attacks PRO Act, opposition to Right-to-Work as "invasion of states' rights" Do you still support PRO Act?? CDR: R2W is fundamental states right. I signed onto PRO Act because I represented OR and wanted to be at the table. 14/ Paul: Do you no longer support the part that would get rid of R2W laws CDR: Yes Murray (D-WA): Do you oppose President violating impoundment Act. Will you follow the law? CDR: Yes. Murray: If Trump asks you to violate the law? CDR: Perish the thought! The President would NEVER ask me to to that 15/ Murray: Elon is trying to get access to confidential #OSHA and #BLS data. Musk is in position to use confidential govt data to compete against his competitors. Is this a good thing? Will you protect private info? CDR: I know nothing about the Dept of Labor. But I'll support DOL 16/ Murray: Will you protect private information. CDR: Yes, but I've never discussed this with POTUS. Murray: Biden had lots of victories over egregious Child Labor violators. What will you do? CDR: Child Labor is bad. 17/ Husted (R-OH): Do illegal immigrants threaten the American Worker? CDR: America First, economic growth, support workers, blah, blah. And yes, influx has hurt American worker. Husted: How does technology affect workers? CDR: Tech is great, upscale, rescale, bridge between labor-business, blah. 18/ Husted: Expand apprenticeships? CDR: Apprenticeships are good. Skills, connect to business owners, work together, blah, blah 19/ Baldwin (D-WI): Asking about registered apprenticeships. CDR: Wants to double down. Lots to learn. Wants to grow registered apps. Baldwin: Appropriations. Money in DOL approps for ONLY registered apprenticeships. Will you support implementing as Congress intends, considering what Trump is doing? 20 Do you support spending funding as Congress intends CDR: I respect Congress. Baldwin: Nurses face workplace violence. DOL/#OSHA plans to move forward with Workplace Violence standard. Will you issue a violence standard by June? CDR: Haven't looked at it. 21/ Baldwin: Will child labor work continue? CDR: Yes Baldwin: Will child labor info on DOL Web stay there? CDR: Information is good. 22/ Banks (R-IN): What does it mean to put American workers first? CDR: Workers need skills. American dream. Not everyone needs college. Pay the mortgage. Rights and safety in the workplace. Protect retirees. Workforce investment. Bipartisan. Protect families, children, Trump, blah, blah. 23/ Banks: How to we help workers whose jobs China killed? CDR: USA! USA! Workforce Development, American Dream, America first, uplift all Americans, blah, blah. Banks: Open borders caused illegal exploitation of children. CDR: Children are important. Even foreign children. Children should be safe. /24 Banks: Biden ignored exploited kids. Murphy (D-CT): Elon: subject to lots of #OSHA investigations. SpaceEx has very high injury rate. Will you deny Elon access to infor at #OSHA or other DOL agencies? CDR: Um, er, I know nothing. Just read the news. POTUS has power to choose his advisors /25 CDR: I will take a deeper look at that if confirmed. Murphy: This is simple. This guy has an interest in this info. You can't say you will not give access to business owners who have interests? CDR: That's up to the President. He decides. But right now, I know nothing. /26 Murphy: If Pres asks you to illegally give a friend access to information, what would you do? Would you say no? CDR: I'd check with DOL attorneys Murphy: You don't have to be an attorney to know what's illegal and unethical. /27 Murphy: Is NLRB constitutional CDR: I'm not an attorney. But it is separate. It has a role to play. I will take NLRB seriously. NLRB is important. I will work with them. Independent and so forth, blah, blah, blah /28 Moody (R-FL): Child labor is terrible. Sex trafficking, rape, abuse. All Biden's fault. Left it to states. Biden's DOL uncooperative. Will you enforce child labor laws and work with states? CDR: 100% Child labor is bad. Moody: We the people did not give consent to child labor. /29 Moody: Will you defend Right to Work? Shouldn't FORCE dues out of workers' paychecks and Biden DOL threatened to withhold funds for FL labor policies. CDR: I will work with you on that. Moody: Do you support states rights? CDR: Yes /30 Kaine D-VA: Trump has illegally incapacitated the NLRB. Should any POTUS ensure NLRB has a quorum so it can operate? CDR: Yes Do you believe in equal opportunity CDR: Yes Kaine: Should EEOC then have a quorum to operate CDR: Yes Kaine: DOL has programs to protect vets. Do you support? CDR Yes /31 Kaine: Trump's policies is harming and punishing American veterans. Trump is disproportionate hurting vets. NonCompetes: Restricts ability of worker to work where they want. Do you support freedom. CDR: Up to the states. Kaine: NLRB has just repealed policy opposing non-competes /32 Collins (R-ME): PRO Act allows unions to bypass "secret ballots" in union elections. Good to have "democracy" and secret ballots. CDR: Agree Collins: #OSHA emergency response proposal threatens volunteer fire depts, training requirements, etc. Fire Depts will close, harm public safety. /33 CDR: I will reexamine all rules for protecting emergency responders. DOL should always consider costs. Collins: Maine has lots of tourists & labor shortages: Need H2B visas. Commit to making maximum of H2B visas available/ CDR: Will work with you and Homeland Security. /34 Hassan(D-NH): Must access to DOL after spending 1/4 billion $ to Trump, and while being investigated by DOL. We are concerned. Apprenticeships? CDR: Scale workforce in rural communities. Look forward to fortify apprenticeships on bipartisan basis /35 Hassan: Workers need to be safer. How will you protect workers? CDR: No one expects to go to work and get hurt. I will work with the experts at DOL to ensure the mission of DOL Hassan: Glad you recognize the expertise of DOL staff. /36 Mullin: (R-OK): Biden admin gave Musk a contract, so how is that a conflict of interest? Dems take money from billionaires too. Dems didn't invite Teamsters Pres to Convention. Dems lie! Dems accuse Rs of being criminals. Dems spread FEAR. They're RIDICULOUS! End of rant. /37 What's your role in President Trump's "new coalition?" CDR: Everyone voted for Trump. He won. He has a mandate. He included American workers. That's why he likes me, he really likes me! Pivotal moment. Support workers. American dream. Bring to the table. No thumb on the scale. Work every day! /38 Mullin: How to being back manufacturing? CDR: More workforce investments. Kim (D-NJ): Is $7.25 enough to live on in 2025? CDR: Uh, er, um. Kim: Answer: CDR: Big cities and small cities have different needs. Kim: Is $15,000/year enough ANYWHERE in the country. CDR: I will work with you /39 Kim: But what is YOUR vision? What about the affordability of housing? What percent of income to housing? CDR: I've hear 10% [HUH?} I will tell that story. I will support min wage laws Kim: Is 50% too high to pay for housing? CDR: Who knows? But I want to help the worker. Workers are important. /40 Kim: Are all American workers entitled to paid leave? CDR: uh, er. American dream Kim: Is paid leave important to the American dream. CDR: States rights. America First, keep hard-earned dollars, opportunity, skills, blah, blah Kim: My constituents are working 2-3 jobs. Want dignity. /41 Tuberville (R-AL):Hi CDR: Hey Coach!! Tuberville: Union bosses. blah, blah, Should unions use dues for politics? CDR: Workers should be aware of where their $ are going Tuberville: Are you pro-life? CDR: 100% /42 Tuberville: Support legal immigration? Especially for engineers? CDR: Will work with you. We will "test the market" to see where we need the guest worker program. Tuberville: Title IX is out of control. All men and women need chance to make money. /43 Blunt-Rochester (D-DE): Mass DOGE firings: Impacts federal families. Now we have plane crashes, disease outbreaks. How do fired feds deal with unemployment, fear? Are fed employees not American workers? We need more skilled workers to grow the economy, in emerging industries like biotech and AI? /44 CDR: young people, high tech skills, workforce development are important. Happy to work with you. Blunt-Rochester: Labor & Industry need to be at the table. Focus on ALL workers, including traumatized federal workers. /45 Murkowski (R-AK): We have a lot of non-resident workers for mining, oil, seafood processing. Need more H2B visas especially for seafood. Need your support for H2B and exempt seafood from H2B visa caps. Big labor has stopped us. Will you help? CDR: OK. /46 Murkowski: Child care. If they can't work because they cant afford child care. Will you support on-site child care? CDR: OK Markey (D-MA): Trump waging war on federal workers. Nullifying union contracts. As Sec of Labor will you abide by terms of collective bargaining agreements? /47 CDR: DOL is outside the NLRB. I will be happy to work with you. Markey: Will you advise Trump that he much reverse all actions that violate agreemetns. CDR: My role is to advise the Pres. I will work with White House. I am Trump's advisor. /48 Markey: You said you can't have strong union w/o NLRB, but Trump has incapacitated the NLRB. Trump has let workers unprotected. If Trump called you would you recommend to restore fired NRLB member Gwen Wilcox? CDR: The American people elected Trump, and I will give him the picture. /49 Markey: Workers are under attack by greedy corporate executive. And Trump has appointed Musk to attack them. Attacking programs that provide food, housing, welfare. I hope you will stand with me to oppose Trump's attacks on workers. /50 Hawley (R-MO): You work for the President? Right? You also support Dem policies too, right? CDR: Yes, yes, yes. A thousand times yes. Hawley: Immigration. All of Bidens meagre job gains went to foreign-born workers. Open borders, competing with American workers, blah, blah, blah. CDR: /51 CDR: Don't want to displace American workers. Invest in American workers first, compete with China, blah, blah.. Hawley: True that strong immigration policy supports workers? CDR: Yup Hawley: Hundred thousands trafficked across border, illegally working at Tysons Foods (NO BACON FOR YOU!!) /52 Hawley: Will you go after these companies who fire US workers and exploit children? CDR: Yes Hawley: Need higher penalties for child labor!! /53 Alsobrooks (D-MD): You assured me you would abide by the law. CDR: Right. Alsobrooks: Is collective bargaining agreement enforceable under the law? CDR: Umm Alsobrooks: Do you know of any statute that limits agreement no matter when it was signed CDR: Umm. I will fully and fairly enforee the law /54 Alsobrooks: Trump has cancelled agreements calling them "lame duck" agreements. Is there a law that allows that? CDR: I will consult with lawyers. Alsobrooks: Trump blamed the DC air crash on FAA hiring of people with mental health disabilities. Do you agree. /55 CDR: Can't comment on what he says. I support the President. Alsobrooks: Do you support his language? CDR: No comments. Alsobrooks: Same policy as under Trump I. Do you support disabled people working for FAA CDR: of course. /56 Alsobrooks: Elon offered fed employees to move from low productivity federal jobs to higher productively private sector jobs? Are federal jobs low productivity CDR: On its face, no. /57 Marshall (R-KS): (Banter about the fate of the Chiefs) Workforce development. Our workforce participation rate not good. Need more skills. CDR: Workforce development and skills are good things. Looking forward to working with you, learning, working hard to ensure young people ready to go! /58 Marshall: How to work better with state agencies. CDR: Federal-State cooperation is a good thing. Need more coordination around unemployment. Marshall: Dems attacks on franchises -- the American dream, and minorities, veterans, small businesses, etc. /59 CDR: I support the franchise model. Everyone needs a voice, at the table. Compliance is good. Protect ALL American workers. Respect All workers for hard work, blah, blah, blah. /60 Hickenlooper(D-CO): Don't we need more workers in unions to expand middle class? CDR: The goal is having the option. If employee chooses they have the right. If they choose not, they have the right. Flexibility is key. Room for both? Certainly! Keep American worker first and foremost Blah, blah /61 Hickenlooper: Appreciate small business background. Apprenticeships. Expand work opportunities for young people. CDR: Looking forward to working with you. Learn. Talk. Hickenlooper: DOGE access to confidential records. Reassure us that those are safe and secure CDR: Who knows? I'll get briefed /62 And that's all folks! /63 Please unroll