This summer, I asked both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party for the chance to speak at their respective conventions. While I heard crickets from the Democrats, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance had the courage to invite me to be the first-ever Teamster to address a Republican National Convention. In my speech, I posed a simple question: “What are you doing to help the American worker?”
It doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat, a Republican, or an independent—the American people want to know the answer. The Teamsters are willing to work with anyone from any party, so long as they are committed to advancing a pro-worker agenda that creates and protects good-paying union jobs. That is why we strongly encourage the president-elect to nominate Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, an Oregon Republican, to lead the Department of Labor.
For decades, the Teamsters and the GOP haven’t seen eye-to-eye on many issues. But in recent years, a growing group of Republicans have proved that they are willing to listen to and stand with workers fighting a broken system. Trump has workers to thank for his decisive victory. By nominating Rep. Chavez-DeRemer, he can show that he stands by the people who are sending him back to the Oval Office come January.
While the Teamsters haven’t agreed on everything with Chavez-DeRemer, she has shown herself to be a real fighter for working people. In Congress, she is one of only three Republicans to co-sponsor the PRO Act—one of our union’s top priorities, aimed at reversing the decades-long anti-union drift of American labor law.
She stood with Teamsters throughout Oregon and across the country when we negotiated an historic contract with UPS last year. She has worked hard to expand apprenticeship opportunities for people who are entering the workforce or switching careers. And as a member of the Congressional Building Trades Caucus, she has brought together leaders in the construction industry to improve conditions on the job.
“Chavez-DeRemer cares about working people.”
Put simply, Chavez-DeRemer cares about working people. She knows—like 1.3 million Teamsters nationwide know—what workers are up against in our rigged system. She was raised by a Teamster. She saw what it means to have the right to organize, to earn a fair wage, and to retire with dignity. She knows that unions are the best shot workers have at winning the fight against the corporate elites who sell them out to the lowest bidder. And she has repeatedly shown her real commitment to protecting working people from greedy corporations.
Rep. Lori. Chavez-DeRemer is the exact type of champion for the American worker that Republicans should get behind if they are serious about becoming the working-class party. As the general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, I wholeheartedly endorse her to serve as America’s next secretary of labor. President Trump shouldn’t miss the opportunity to underscore his pro-worker bona fides by nominating her.