The Trump administration plans to put the former leader of an anti-union advocacy group in charge of the Labor Department’s office that oversees financial disclosures by unions and “union-busting” consultants, HuffPost has learned.
Elisabeth Messenger, who served as the CEO of the Oklahoma-based Americans for Fair Treatment, or AFFT, is expected to be the new director of the federal government’s Office of Labor-Management Standards, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation.
Billed as a member organization, AFFT promotes right-to-work laws and advises public-sector workers like teachers on how to opt out of paying union dues. “Having challenges with your public-sector union? We can help!” the group’s site promises.
Although AFFT’s staff page lists Chip Rogers as its current CEO, a separate page on the site still lists Messenger as a chief executive. It says she previously worked in the publicity department of Atlantic Records before joining the group in 2020.
AFFT did not respond to a HuffPost voicemail seeking comment Friday.
As the head of OLMS, Messenger would be charged with making sure unions, as well as anti-union consultants, make lawful disclosures to the government about their work. While labor groups must file annual reports detailing their finances, employers and consultants must also report certain money spent trying to defeat union organizing campaigns.
Messenger’s background suggests the administration may ramp up oversight of unions while shifting away from enforcement against the so-called “persuaders” who campaign against unions.
“It’s not just a bureaucrat – they’re putting a real ideologue in there,” said Bob Funk, director of the watchdog group LaborLab, which tracks anti-union spending by corporations.
Funk said he expects a much different focus than under former President Joe Biden, when OLMS made a point of trying to bring employers and anti-union groups into compliance with the law. Moving forward, he expects a crackdown on the union side.
“It seems likely they’ll go after not just public-sector unions but worker centers, too,” he said, referencing groups that advocate for workers but are not considered unions under the law.
Trump made a point of currying favor with some unions during his most recent presidential run, but his choice of Messenger to run OLMS won’t do organized labor any favors. She has been outspoken about what she sees as union bullying and corruption, particularly in the public sector.
In a 2022 podcast interview with the anti-union consultant Peter List, Messenger bemoaned the fact that private-sector workers can be required to pay union dues if they receive the benefits of a union contract.
“Time and time again, I see when you’re a member of a union, you are giving up your individual voice, you are giving up your power,” she said. “It just infuriates me. A lot of these workers just did not have a choice.”
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