Republicans Hold Up Labor Nominee
January 29, 2009
 Working families and labor activists across the United States are calling on the Senate to confirm President Barack Obama’s pick for Secretary of Labor, California Rep. Hilda Solis (D).
“We’ve been waiting eight years for a Labor Secretary who’s willing to uphold labor law and basic workers’ rights,” said IBEW International President Edwin D. Hill. “The Senate needs to respect the president’s decision.”
Solis, a four-term congresswoman from Los Angeles, was nominated by then President-Elect Obama on December 18. Known for her strong support for working family issues, Obama’s choice was widely praised by labor leaders.
In her tenure in Congress, Solis was a leading sponsor of the Green Jobs Act of 2007, which authorized $125 million for workforce training in renewable energy and the Employee Free Choice Act which helps level the playing field for workers who want to organize a union.
It’s her support for the later bill that has made her a target for some Republican Senators, including one who is anonymously blocking a vote on her confirmation.
“As a child of union parents, Rep. Solis knows first hand how important unions are to opening the road to the middle class for millions of hard-working Americans,” Hill said.
To help push her nomination forward, labor activists have set-up two Facebook pages to support Solis and provide information on contacting your senator.
Both groups have a total of nearly 800 members so far.
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