Punching In: Defining Pro-Worker for Trump’s Labor Secretary

Monday morning musings for workplace watchers.

High Expectations for Labor | New Glasses for OSHA

Rebecca Rainey: Worker advocacy groups are laying out their demands for Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, President-elect Donald Trump’s seemingly labor-friendly pick to lead the US Labor Department, offering up a laundry list of policy choices she should make to prove her pro-worker chops.

The left-leaning Economic Policy Institute has called on Chavez-DeRemer to fight for at least a $14 billion budget for the agency and defend the Biden rule to expand overtime protections to 4 million workers in court. The group also wants her to refuse to reinstate the Trump-era Payroll Audit Independent Determination program, which allowed employers to self report wage-and-hour violations to avoid penalties and litigation, among other promises.

EPI and the National Employment Law Project are also urging Chavez-DeRemer to finalize a standard to protect workers from heat on the job.

“If workers truly have an ally in Chavez-DeRemer, she will advance policies that improve workers’ lives,” EPI’s Director of Policy and General Counsel Celine McNicholas wrote. Chavez-DeRemer’s support of those policies “will reveal whether the second Trump administration will actually aid working-class Americans or be a continuation of his first administration’s agenda attacking workers’ rights,” McNicholas said.

Trump’s move to nominate Chavez-DeRemer to lead the DOL has been met with an anxious response from the business community, which fears that her record of supporting laws to broadly expand workers unionization rights under the law could reflect her plans for the agency.

That includes signing onto a letter applauding the Davis-Bacon Act prevailing wage rule, voting against an effort to overturn a Biden administration rule that would expand protections for workers rolling their retirement savings out of their 401(k)s, and skipping a vote on a measure to block the DOL rule that would make it easier for independent contractors to be considered employees.

The Coalition for Workforce Innovation, which represents Uber Technologies Inc., Lyft Inc., and other business organizations, said in a statement last week it was “very concerned” with the nomination, and the American Trucking Associations said it would withhold its support of the nominee until it gets clarity on her positions.

Whether Chavez-DeRemer will meet labor’s demands is yet to be seen, but she doesn’t necessarily need to worry about losing any political capital with business groups if she did. Chavez-DeRemer will likely get enough Democratic votes in the Senate to avoid any lobbying effort to sink her nomination.

Rep. Lori Chavez-Deremer (R-Ore.) at the US Capitol Building on Oct. 19, 2023.

Photographer: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Tre’Vaughn Howard: The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration has expanded its use of smart glasses technology during safety field inspections to each of its regional and national offices after a two-year trial.

The glasses are now a critical component of OSHA’s interactive remote inspection support and will allow for real-time audio and video transmission from field inspectors to office-based supervisors and technical support teams, according to Denisha Braxton, an OSHA spokesperson. The technology will allow OSHA to respond to violations faster, she said.

“This capability facilitates immediate collaboration, allowing for prompt decision-making and guidance during inspections,” Braxton said. “The technology aims to reduce response times, improve operational efficiency, and improve remote field training.”

OSHA declined to specify how much the expansion will cost the agency but said the benefits of investing in the smart glasses will offset costs by reducing and eliminating the need for travel and additional staff on site.

The smart glasses OSHA has deployed come with a Zoom license subscription that costs about $40 quarterly or $100 per year, according to Vuzix Corp.—the New York-based company behind the wearable technology.

Braxton noted the agency’s decision to integrate the glasses into its inspection processes was driven by the need to enhance communication, documentation, and access to technical information.

This is intended to improve operational efficiency and help with following workplace safety standards, Braxton said. The hands-free nature of the glasses also allows inspectors to perform tasks more safely—aligning with OSHA’s mission to ensure safe and healthful working conditions, she added.

Paul Travers, the CEO of Vuzix, said the company looks forward to potentially working more with OSHA in the future.

We’re punching out. Daily Labor Report subscribers please check in for updates during the week, and feel free to reach out to us.