Thursday, December 18, 2008

Obama Picks Hilda Solis To Be Secretary of Labor

President Elect Barack Obama has selected Congresswoman Hilda Solis (D-CA) to be his Labor Secretary (DOL). Congresswoman Solis is a well known proponent of environmental justice and green jobs. Each session she introduces environmental justice legislation [Udall/Solis 1 , Udall Solis 2] to codify President Bill Clinton's Executive Order 12898. She has also championed the clean up of leaking underground storage tanks and partnered with Congressman John Dingell to request a General Accounting Office (GAO) report that showed the public cost of cleaning these tanks would be $12 billion and that these leaks are negatively impacting public health and our water supplies. The environmental justice community and the environmental movement in general are very happy with this pick.

The Department of Labor fosters and promotes the welfare of the job seekers, wage earners, and retirees of the United States by improving their working conditions, advancing their opportunities for profitable employment, protecting their retirement and health care benefits, helping employers find workers, strengthening free collective bargaining, and tracking changes in employment, prices, and other national economic measurements. In carrying out this mission, the Department administers a variety of Federal labor laws including those that guarantee workers’ rights to safe and healthful working conditions; a minimum hourly wage and overtime pay; freedom from employment discrimination; unemployment insurance; and other income support.

DOL Organization Chart (Click on Chart To Enlarge)

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