Rep. Hilda Solis, D-Calif., was named today as nominee for Labor secretary by President-elect Barack Obama.
Ms. Solis, now serving her fourth term in the House, was a California legislator for eight years prior to going to Washington. She said she would work with the administration to invest in work-force training for at-risk youth and underserved communities.
“We also must enforce federal labor laws and strengthen regulations to protect our nation’s workers such as wage and hour laws and rules regarding overtime pay and pay discrimination,” Ms. Solis said. "Through these and other efforts we can strengthen one of America’s greatest assets: its labor force.”
Mr. Obama said the Labor Department, which oversees the Employee Benefits Security Administration, has “not lived up to its role” as an advocate for workers or an arbiter of fairness between labor and management.
Ms. Solis’ nomination must be approved by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and by the full Senate.
