The president plans to nominate Keith Sonderling, a Republican with several years of experience at the agency, to serve as labor secretary, according to a Monday report. posting on social networks.
Sonderling, who was previously deputy secretary, took over as acting secretary after Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned in April amid reports of an investigation into possible misconduct.
Previously, Sonderling served in the Wage and Hour Division of the US Department of Labor and as a Commissioner of the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
During Sonderling’s time at the DOL, he has voiced his support regulations favorable to employers i programs that encourage employers to carry out self-auditsreport violations of labor law and take corrective action.
As EEOC commissioner, Sonderling was also supportive federal agency opinion letterssaying they act as liability shields for employers, but also benefit courts, workers and unions.
He also urged employers to do so perform self-audits before implementing artificial intelligence tools at work. Employers should evaluate algorithms “early and often for biased results and re-engineer as appropriate,” Sonderling said at a 2021 American Bar Association conference. He called on the EEOC to be a leader in this area and urged attendees to reach out with any requests for guidance.
AI can help remove bias from the early stages of the hiring process, he said later that year. an op-ed for HR Dive. “I believe we can — and must — realize the full potential of AI to enhance human decision-making in full compliance with the law,” he wrote, but said stakeholders must be “vigilant” about the technology’s limitations “and mindful of the legal and ethical obligations that bind us all.”
Shortly after Trump’s announcement, said Sonderling that if the Senate confirms it, I would wait”advance the president’s agenda on behalf of America’s workers, families, unions, and job creators.DOL did not provide additional comment at press time.
