At a Senate confirmation hearing last week for Keith Sonderling, nominated to be the next U.S. Secretary of Labor, a number of Trump-era labor policies high on HR professionals’ radar took center stage.
During the hearing before the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee, Sonderling—who has been the acting DOL head since the departure of Lori Chavez-DeRemer this spring—was questioned on several recent high-profile Trump moves. In particular, Sonderling was pressed by Democrats on the committee, like U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), about the administration’s moves to walk back a Biden-era rule that gives more workers access to overtime pay, as well as the efforts to change independent contractor determinations. On this matter, Murray contended the proposed rule would benefit corporations and harm employees, according to The Associated Press.
“I fear any vote to confirm you is for more of the same: to strip overtime protections for our workers, to undercut our unions and to let giant corporations get away with robbery, literally,” Murray said.
Sonderling got a warmer reception from Republicans, particularly for the well-rounded experience he described, which includes time as a member of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity and as Deputy Secretary of Labor.
Keith Sonderling’s work on AI was especially scrutinized during confirmation
His work on AI was also a topic of scrutiny. Under his leadership, the DOL launched the AI Literacy Framework and accompanying text-based AI training for American workers. He has also written and spoken extensively—including at the HR Tech Conference—about the influence of AI on the HR profession.
Sonderling testified that his department and the Bureau of Labor Statistics are working through data, in partnership with organizations and unions, to inform the allocation of money for AI job training to states where it’s most needed. Data, he testified, will be key to addressing rampant fear of AI-related job losses, which he said is affecting everyone from employees to students, worried about entering a tough job market without the needed AI skills.
“To be able to get rid of that fear, we need to have education,” he said, touting the potential of a federal AI curriculum. “To be able to get that education, we need the information from these companies designing it.”
Credit: Source link
