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Republican Luke Farley will become North Carolina’s next labor commissioner, defeating Democrat Braxton Winston with nearly 53 percent of the vote as of early Wednesday.
North Carolina is one of only four states that elect a labor commissioner, and it’s had only four since 1977. Republicans have held the office since 2000, with Cherie Berry serving five terms. Incumbent Republican Josh Dobson did not seek reelection.
Farley is a 39-year-old Raleigh lawyer who has represented businesses in disputes with the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Division for 14 years. “My sense of mission,” he said, “is to keep workers safe and healthy without bankrupting business in the process and [to] drive job growth.” He listed one of his priorities as medical freedom, including opposition to regulations for masking and vaccinations.
Farley pulled off an upset in the GOP primary by defeating state Rep. Jon Hardister, using the slogan “Make Elevators Great Again.” His platform included promoting workforce development with vocational training and right-to-work laws, which prohibit mandatory union memberships.
Winston is a former Charlotte city councilman and union stagehand who painted the races as a choice between “a worker like them or … their boss’s attorney.” He first gained notoriety in Charlotte during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2016. He was elected to the Charlotte City Council as an at-large member in 2017 and became mayor pro tem in 2022, but chose not to seek reelection. He was arrested during the George Floyd protests in 2020.
Winston campaigned for heat safety regulations, like access to water and mandatory breaks in industries such as agriculture. He campaigned on supporting workers, including reducing food deserts and supporting workforce training.
The differences between Farley and Winston were on sharp display last January in a cramped meeting room at the Department of Labor. Both were there for public hearings on new regulations proposed by worker advocates. One was specific to migrant workers and their employers; the other would have applied to most other workers.
Both sets of regulations called for masking, distancing, and other measures in the event of another airborne infectious disease outbreak like COVID-19.
“Why are we still debating COVID workplace mandates in 2024?” Farley said. “There needs to be a clear message to the people that want to take our liberties and control our lives and our businesses that we will not give an inch. Ever. We will fight you every single step of the way.”
Farley said the proposed migrant rule would place additional burdens on farmers and that “masks are virtually useless in preventing the spread of COVID.” (Physicians and scientists generally say face masks reduce the spread of COVID-19.) Farley said the rule “turns over North Carolina sovereignty to a globalist organization, like the World Health Organization. … It’s in the pocket of China.”
Winston favored both proposals. He blamed the Trump administration for its handling of the pandemic. “They were supposed to be the quarterbacks, and they fumbled the ball,” he said. “There were no plans in 2020, and we all suffered because of it.”
He said the state needed “a playbook for responsible actions we can take to mitigate the harmful effects of a health emergency. … We should use what we have learned over the recent years.”
Winston took an expansive view of the commissioner’s role, calling it the “whole worker” approach. That includes working with private and public partners to address issues such as transportation, affordable housing, and poverty.
Farley, who has represented small businesses cited by the Labor Department, said he would work with employers on the front end to avoid rules violations. “It’s about changing that perception of the … department into an agency that wants to collaborate and help instead of just punish and criticize,” he said.
Mathias Marchington works with the audience team at The Assembly.