Jorge Rivas

Hilda Solis Finally Secretary of Labor

Even though she was confirmed by both the Senate and House a few weeks ago, Hilda Solis officially became the Secretary of Labor this morning after she was sworn in, taking the oath-of-office.

“Things like fairness in the workplace and workplace safety are not just idle phrases that are to be debated in Hilda’s mind; they’re real,” Biden said. “They affect real live people. They’re real concerns that people face every single day. She knows that a job is more than about a paycheck. … A job is about dignity. A job is about respect. Hilda understands that.”

Solis’ nomination initially stalled over her role in a nonprofit group that lobbied for the much-contested Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that would make it easier for workers to form unions.

Posted at 11:32 AM, Mar 13, 2009 in Labor | Permalink | View Comments