New Secretary of Labor Confirmed

By Sally Weldin, Senior Human Resource Specialist
Published March 18, 2025

On March 11, 2025, Lori Chavez-DeRemer was confirmed by the Senate as the 30th Secretary of Labor for the U.S. Department of Labor. She replaces Julie Su, who had been the acting Secretary of Labor since 2023 following the departure of Marty Walsh, who was appointed in 2021. Ms. Chavez-DeRemer began her career in local politics with a seat on the Happy Valley City Council in Oregon. She was elected as mayor of Happy Valley and eventually moved to a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Given her support for unions, her nomination was a surprise under the current Trump Administration. Some of her family members were in the Teamsters union and she received support from Oregon unions when she ran for a seat in the House of Representatives. She was the only Republican to co-sponsor the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act). Her confirmation this month received bipartisan support.

As the head of the Department of Labor (DOL), she will oversee wage and hour administration and enforcement under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and federal contractor issues under the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). 

There is speculation that Chavez-DeRemer may revisit the salary threshold in the FLSA. A former Secretary, Eugene Scalia, raised the salary threshold from $455 per week to $684 per week in 2019, where it remains, despite attempts to increase it in 2024. The DOL filed appeals both under the Biden administration and more recently by the Trump administration in the 5th District Court of Appeals in an attempt to overturn the judicial ruling against raising the salary threshold. The 5th District Court agreed to a filing extension, allowing briefs to be filed by May 6, 2025. HR Source will continue to monitor the status of the appeal.

HR Source members with questions can contact us through the HR Hotline Online or at 800-448-4584.