In a bipartisan vote of 67 to 32, the U.S. Senate confirmed former Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer as the next U.S. secretary of labor.
The IAFF joined other major unions, including the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, North America’s Building Trades Unions, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, and others in supporting her nomination.
“Lori has been a friend to fire fighters throughout her entire career. Now as secretary of labor, she’ll play a key role in advancing safety standards that help to keep fire fighters, and the communities we serve, safe,” said IAFF General President Edward A. Kelly. “The IAFF was proud to join with so many leaders in the labor movement to support her nomination, and we look forward to working with her to advance the health and well-being of all U.S. fire fighters over the next four years.”
Before her nomination to lead the Department of Labor, Chavez-DeRemer represented Oregon’s 5th Congressional District. During her time in Congress, she voted for key IAFF priorities, including the Fire Grants and Safety Act and the Social Security Fairness Act, which repealed the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) penalties on retirees.
Chavez-DeRemer also cosponsored legislation to address rising cancer rates among fire fighters, eliminate PFAS in fire fighter protective gear, and ensure that fire fighters who die from occupational cancer are recognized as line-of-duty deaths under the Public Safety Officer Benefit (PSOB) program.
Prior to her time in Congress, she served as a city council member and mayor of Happy Valley, Oregon.
As secretary of labor, Chavez-DeRemer will oversee crucial policy decisions affecting fire fighters and emergency medical workers, such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) proposed Emergency Response Standard (ERS) — the first major update to fire fighter safety standards in decades. The ERS would replace the current “Fire Brigades Standard” and modernize the fire service for the 21st century.
Earlier this year, Kelly outlined the IAFF’s many reasons for supporting Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination in an op-ed for The Hill. Read the full piece here.
