Labor secretary faces discrimination complaints tied to her husband's alleged misconduct
Source: MS NOW
At least three people have lodged formal workplace discrimination complaints against Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, alleging she created a toxic workplace and sought to retaliate against women who reported her husband for sexual misconduct in her office, according to two sources familiar with the allegations.
Two of the complaints were filed by young female staffers who have alleged that Chavez-DeRemer’s husband, Dr. Shawn DeRemer, subjected them to unwanted sexual touching late last year when they were working at U.S. Department of Labor offices.
MS NOW is not sharing the names of the two women to protect their identities during ongoing investigations of their claims. The Department of Labor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Shawn DeRemer did not immediately return requests for comment.
The allegations, filed as Equal Employment Opportunity complaints, portray Chavez-DeRemer as an agency leader who fostered a hostile workplace where staff feared punishment for speaking out or resisting directives they considered inappropriate. One of the complaints says the Labor Secretary also directed staff to perform personal chores for her, including cleaning out one of her clothing closets, according to one of the sources.
Read more: https://www.ms.now/news/labor-secretary-discrimination-complaints-misconduct-husband
Link to tweet
= new reply since forum marked as read
Three employees described a hostile work environment under Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
Civil rights complaints against Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer were filed in recent weeks by three women who worked in the secretary’s executive office.Credit...Al Drago for The New York Times
By Rebecca Davis O’Brien
April 9, 2026
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is the subject of three civil rights complaints inside her agency, people familiar with the filings said, adding to the pressures on an embattled member of President Trump’s cabinet.
The complaints were filed in recent weeks by three women who have worked at the top of the Labor Department, including in the secretary’s executive office. They contain a range of allegations and, taken together, describe a hostile work environment under Ms. Chavez-DeRemer, including claims of sexual harassment by her husband, retaliation for taking part in an official investigation and abuse of official resources.
Separately, all three of the women have been interviewed by the department’s inspector general’s office as part of a wide-ranging fraud and misconduct investigation into Ms. Chavez-DeRemer and her top aides. The investigation is in its final weeks, people briefed on the matter said.
A lawyer representing Ms. Chavez-DeRemer in the inspector general’s investigation did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ... The White House has been briefed about the complaints, a person familiar with the matter said. A spokeswoman for the Labor Department did not immediately provide a comment.
{snip}
A correction was made on April 9, 2026: An earlier version of this article misstated the circumstances of Melissa Robey’s departure from the Labor Department. She was fired, not forced to resign.
When we learn of a mistake, we acknowledge it with a correction. If you spot an error, please let us know at corrections@nytimes.com.Learn more
Rebecca Davis O’Brien covers labor and the work force for The Times.