Scoop: GOP fight coming over labor unions
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Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) delivers remarks at the Faith and Freedom Road to Majority conference. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is aiming to be the first Republican in decades to sponsor major, pro-union labor reform, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: GOP leaders see an opportunity for a new, working-class coalition, which includes more union outreach. It's a major shift, and fault lines are already forming over President Trump's pro-labor Cabinet nominee, former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
Zoom in: Hawley has been quietly circulating draft legislation that would prevent employers from stalling union contract negotiations — keeping the process to months, not years, according to a copy obtained by Axios.
- He is looking for a Democratic co-sponsor.
- The senator pitched his bill at a dinner Tuesday night with Teamsters president Sean O'Brien and a small group of Republican senators — Roger Marshall of Kansas, Jim Banks of Indiana, and Ohio's Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted, sources familiar said.
- "We look forward to advancing meaningful legislation for working people this Congress," Hawley's office told Axios.
Zoom out: The effort comes as some Republicans express hesitancy about Chavez-DeRemer.
- Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) told NBC News he is not going to support her, "I think she'll lose 15 Republicans," Paul said, describing her as "very pro-labor."
- Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) told NBC News he found the nomination "concerning."
- But she is expected to pick up Democratic support, including from fellow Oregonian Sen. Jeff Merkley, who told local reporters of his plans to back her.
What they're saying: Others in the party see the nomination as a way for Republicans to win over more of the historically Democratic union voting bloc.
- Chavez-DeRemer's nomination "came about by Sean [O'Brien] and I working together with the President," Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) told Axios. He said she is the "perfect balance" as a former Republican lawmaker and strong pro-labor voice.
- Mullin and O'Brien have become friends after going viral for challenging each other to a fight mid-hearing.
- "I think the Republican Party is expanding. I think a lot of that's due to President Trump, and I think that that she should be a solid nomination," Marshall told Axios. He also expressed willingness to back pro-union legislation.
Thought bubble: The particular issue of firms delaying contract negotiations has become a huge issue, Axios Markets co-author Emily Peck notes.
- Unionized workers at Starbucks, Amazon and Trader Joe's have all been stuck trying to negotiate first contracts with their employers — deep-pocketed corporations who are fighting to avoid these deals.
