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President-elect Barack Obama has selected the next labor secretary
to be California Rep. Hilda Solis, a liberal representative with
plentiful experience on environmental and energy issues.
 Solis,
51, is the third Hispanic chosen for Obama's cabinet. She is strongly
supported by labor unions and was an avid supporter of Sen. Hillary
Clinton during the Democratic primaries.
The four-term representative is best known for her work on energy
issues, including promoting "green-collar jobs" through
worker training and retrofitting buildings to be more energy efficient.
She sits on the Energy and Commerce Committee, the Natural Resources
Committee, the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global
Warming and the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee.
Though she does not sit on the Education and Labor Committee,
labor leaders have embraced Solis, who is considered "one
of the most reliably pro-union voices in the House," according
to the Los Angeles Times.
Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union,
told Bloomberg News the group is "thrilled" about the
choice and issued a statement showing the groups support.
"From the streets of Los Angeles where she marched with the
janitors who were fighting for jobs with dignity that can support
a family through SEIU's Justice for Janitors campaigns, to the
halls of Congress where she has been an outspoken supporter of
health care rights for all, a livable minimum wage and workers'
right to come together for a voice on the job, Hilda Solis has
never backed down from the good fight to make the American Dream
available to all," Stern said in the statement.
Solis grew up in Los Angeles and her district includes parts of
East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley. Her father was a
member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and her
mother was a member of the United Rubber Workers.
In Congress, she has consistently voted in support of labor interests.
A congressional voting analysis conducted by the AFL-CIO showed
that she voted with organized labor 100 percent of the time last
year, the Times reported.
J.P. Fielder, spokesman for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, suggested
to the paper that her record was too heavily weighted to one side.
"The business community recognizes that economic growth has
happened in a number of non-unionized states," he said.
She supported measures increasing the minimum wage and preserving
a ban on privatizing jobs at the Labor Department.
If confirmed as labor secretary, she will be thrown into a fight
over the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it easier
for workers to unionize. If it passes, employers would have to
automatically recognize a union once a majority of workers sign
on.
Solis supports the measure, which faces strong opposition from
businesses and Republicans, as well as some Democrats. Mr. Obama
supports the proposed law.
Critics say the law could make employees vulnerable to union scare
tactics, while supporters say it will combat management scare
tactics to keep employees from organizing.
Solis also sponsored a bill, passed into law in 2003, granting
citizenship to immigrants after a year of service in the military.
-- Compiled from wire reports
and other media sources
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