AP: Hilda Solis For Labor Secretary
Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA), the daughter of Mexican and Nicaraguan immigrants, is Pres.-elect Barack Obama's pick for Labor Secretary, the AP reported this afternoon.
The AP notes that in 1994 Solis "was the first Latina elected to the California Senate, where she led the battle to increase the state's minimum wage from $4.25 to $5.75 an hour in 1996. In Congress, she wrote a measure that authorized $125 million for work force training programs in areas such as energy efficiency retrofitting and "green building" construction."
And the AFL-CIO signed off today on the selection.
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney: "We're thrilled at the prospect of having Rep. Hilda Solis as our nation's next labor secretary. We're confident that she will return to the labor department one of its core missions - - to defend workers' basic rights in our nation's workplaces. She's proven to be a passionate leader and advocate for all working families - - in fact, she's voted with working men and women 97 percent of the time. The AFL-CIO looks forward to working with Rep. Solis as she charts new territory for our nation's working men and women."
Change To Win Chair Anna Burger also endorsed Solis for the job: “Change to Win and its affiliated unions would welcome the appointment of Congresswoman Hilda Solis as Secretary of Labor, and would be excited to work with her to help restore the economy, rebuild the middle class and renew the American Dream. She would make the Labor Department an agency that once again protects and promotes the well-being of America’s working men and women. President-elect Obama promised to make government work for working Americans and the appointment of Hilda Solis would make that promise real.
“Solis has a life-long record as an advocate and activist for the cause and concerns of working Americans. She has fought to provide working families with a safe workplace, a healthy environment, a decent standard of living, affordable health care and equal opportunity. Congresswoman Solis does not just vote on behalf of workers, she is their unwavering and tireless voice. She has one of the strongest pro-worker voting records in Congress and is a sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act.
“She has never forgotten where she comes from, and how she got to where she is today."
I worked for the Congresswoman,
Does not have the experience to be labor secretary.
Sra. Hilda Solis : Antes que nada la felicito por tan alto honor de servir a este gran pais acompanando (con el resto de secretarios)al Presidente: Barack Obama en este diicil pero no imposible encomienda. Despues de esta breve felisitacion le comento lo siguiente.Por que no presta directamente el gobierno el dinero para la compra de casas y asi no habria tanto intermediarismo donde muchos salen ganando a costa de los "duenos de las propiedades" logrando con esto que la mensualidad sea tan grande que con el minimo descontrol se empiese a no poder pagar pues a esto se le tiene que sumar ; aseguransa,taxes,billes,mantenimiento y otros y paremos de contar.Yo se que esto no le corresponde pero por favor comenteselo Ud. a quien corresponda muchas gracias por la atencion que se tome a este mal escrito pero sincero comentario asta siempre. Delfino Garcia