New Direction for the Labor Department: Hilda Solis

In a move in line with his campaign pledges to back the Employee Free Choice Act and support the rights of workers, President-elect Barack Obama named California Rep. Hilda Solis (D-El Monte) as his nominee for Labor Secretary yesterday.

Solis, who was raised in a union family, is known as an advocate for women and labor (the AFL-CIO rates her voting record in Congress at 100%). If confirmed, Solis will be the most worker-friendly Labor Secretary in decades.

Solis voted in favor of the Employee Free Choice Act (which has passed in the House but is stalled in the Senate), and she has consistently supported measures related to abortion rights, domestic violence prevention, and worker protections, while rejecting free-trade related legislation.

2009 is shaping up to be a potentially very interesting year for labor.