What An Outrage: Obama Nominates a Pro-Worker Labor Secretary
Shocking. What can he possibly be thinking? Clearly President Obama does not "get" how things are supposed to work at the Department of Labor. The very idea of nominating someone who has been a lifelong leader and advocate for workers to be the Secretary of Labor is outrageous. (Note that the mission of the Department of Labor is to foster and promote the welfare of U.S. employees and retirees by improving their working conditions and protecting their benefits, helping employers find workers and strengthening free collective bargaining.)
That's the position of corporate interest attack groups, like "Americans for Job Security" and the "Employee Freedom Action Committee." Earlier this week "Americans for Job Security" announced that they are launching a grassroots effort to bring down Secretary of Labor nominee Congresswoman Hilda Solis. You'd think with a name like "Americans for Job Security" they would be interested in helping American workers instead of greedy corporate interests.
You know, it really must be a shock to the system for these people. Having served as an Associate Deputy Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration, I get it. During the '90s, for the most part, Big Business had to endure eight years of policy that supported and promoted the rights of workers. So the coming of George W. Bush and his corporate agenda was their golden opportunity. For the last eight years, Big Business and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have had it made. They got eight years of a Labor Department that was completely remiss in its duties to American workers. They pressed every opportunity to advance their interests (and profits) at the expense of workers, waging a full-out war against the interests of middle class families and the Democrats in Congress who supported them. The result: the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, including 3.6 million jobs lost.
Thankfully, the Bush era is over.
President Barack Obama has been crystal clear that American workers are his top priority - as illustrated by his selection of Congresswoman Solis as Labor Secretary and his emphasis on jobs, jobs, jobs.
Hilda Solis is exactly the right type of person to do this work. As the daughter of two immigrant workers and proud union members, Hilda Solis is the embodiment of the American Dream. Solis is an experienced leader who has been an advocate for the middle class and working families throughout her entire career. She has consistently supported efforts to increase the minimum wage and to increase unemployment benefits. Lastly, Solis authored the "Green Collar Jobs Act of 2007" which gives her a unique perspective on how to make the new jobs created in the Economic Recovery Plan the most effective.
Hilda Solis will work tirelessly to help strengthen one of America's greatest assets, its labor force, and her nomination deserves to move forward and be confirmed quickly. America needs to get to work.
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I'm really happy that she's been confirmed in committee. Hilda Solis is, in my opinion, the single best cabinet appointment Obama has made so far. She's not just a friend of labor- she's a lifelong staunch advocate of the rights of all workers, especially vulnerable working class Americans. She has been a longtime friend of the environmental movement while stressing economic needs alongside ecological ones. And as the daughter of immigrants and representative from a heavily Chicano/a district in southern California, she's in a unique position to understand the needs and protect the rights of immigrant workers. I can't think of anyone more qualified for this position. Bravo!
Nicely put, though you fail to see the contradictions in your own writing. If she is an environmentalist, the workers will take a hit. If the friend of the worker, the environment will not have a friend, except in her speeches. Its a tough balancing act, and there is NO history of government doing either of those things well. In fact, there is no history of government doing anything but defense competently, and then only when they let the generals do their jobs.
Semper fi
You mean a pro-union labor secretary, right?
sorry pro labor.if your not a owner or top brass ,you want her.
Lenin, Kerensky, Bhukanin, Marx, Engels, Stalin, Khruschev were all "pro-worker", too. How'd they work out?
Comparing Solis to Lenin et al just reveals your ignorance of workers' rights issues and your ideological bias in favor of plutocracy (or worse).
And Mussolini and Hitler were very very definitely pro-corporate, pro-economic elites. How'd that work out for them?
Yeah - they were "pro-worker" in the same sense that bush and cheney were "pro-democracy".
no the outrage is the tax cheating and she is under investigation for ethics violation.
So she's never created a job or worked in the private sector in her entire life...
Let me know how that works out for you...
Yeah. Not to mention that she's a champion of the illegal aliens, voted against the e-verify clause, which would have ensured that only legal workers got jobs. But Steve Rosenthal thinks that she actually cares about american workers! HAHAHAHAH! You're not in the illegal alien tribe, Steve! She doesn't give a crap about you or your buddies, she'll gladly replace you all with cheaper illegal labor..... but you don't really care about that, do you?
it works out just fine. She will restore the balance of power so that labor has dignity again.
Labor, as you put it, is not a monolithic entity, any more than is management. Dignity comes from doing a job well, and to the best of one's ability. Dignity does not come from either pro or anti-union attitudes. Any person that needs that for his or her dignity is less than a complete human being and should seek professional help.
Semper fi
Let's see. Judd Gregg. Republican. Nominee for Commerce Secretary. Private sector experience - three years of law practice. Jobs created - zero. Let me know how that works for you. I do support Senator Gregg's nomination, as I do that of Representative Solis. They both have a solid understanding of the relevant issues, though they may not have gained it in what you consider to be valid means. It seems as though you really have two objections to her nomination - 1) She is a Democrat, 2) She supports labor.
Your outraged is misdirected. It matters little whether the labor secretary is liberal or conservative as long as the labor secretary supports globalism, free trade and open borders. The standard of living for American workers is headed downwards.
What is so compelling about globalism, free trade and open borders?
It seems to me the only affect of these policies is that jobs have been shipped overseas.
Green squads are on the way. Millions of new jobs will be created making America more energy efficient. It is a sin to waste precious energy and it must be stopped. The first task of the green squads will be to weatherproof homes and buildings. If the proposal is put into law you will soon hear green squad members knocking on your door ready to weatherproof your home at no cost. It will not take them long before every leaky window and hole is repaired. Those that want to continue wasting energy and refuse entrance to the green squad will be heavily fined. Millions of homes and buildings will be weatherproofed and millions of new workers will become unemployment proof. Go green stay lean and keep the environment clean.
So jpb creation is going to be having a bunch of people weather-proofing houses? Oh yes, if unions are involved you will have one union load the truck, the next union drive the truck, the next union unload the truck, the next union to take the materials inside the house, one union to hold the materials so the next union can affiix the materials, one union to take excess materials out, one union to take materials to the truck, one union to take the materials away and another to unload them. Also do not forget that there will have to be a shop stewart for each union to make sure that the other union does not take the other union's work. I know I am being sarcastic to an extent, but I have seen 4 unions involved in fixing a table.
The ONLY worthwhile jobs are the ones that add to the GDP! Anything else is just make-work.
Incorrect. GDP does not strongly correlate with standard of living. Increases in GDP may actually reduce the standard of living. Examples: big pharma and the War on Drugs, fast food, new subdivisions, Nadya Suleman,..
Yes Sir, what an outrage? Perhaps we should have corporate scientologist deal with the nation's labor issues.
Every working person in this country whether or not they're in a union is standing on the shoulders of those union men and women who fought for
(a) the 8 hour day
(b) worker safety
(c) paid vacations
(d) benefits
(e) the minimum wage
If you've got any of these benefits, if you look real close at them, you'll see the Union Made label.
And the fight was not easy - beyond the economic pain associated with strikes, much blood was shed (e.g., Battle of the Overpass 1937), folks were killed (e.g., Ludlow 1914).
Very well said. And it should be noted that battles like Ludlow ended in defeat for the earliest leaders of organized labor, often at the hands of the federal government, and they kept fighting anyway.
If we all stood up for our rights in that fashion, the American ideal might be closer to the American reality.
Maybe like those old Europeans - the French.
When people stand up for their rights, they have more chance to expand / retain them.
When one lives in a mass society, well the compensation is American Idol and Paris Hilton.
Absolutely. And Hilda Solis is the best candidate to ensure that labor is protected in this country. She deserves our complete support.
Im a member of the IATSE UNion---(Crew people who work on TV and Film)
Right now we are in negotiations to stop UNFAIR "agreement' OUR BOARD SOLD US OUT
1. We often work more than 8 hours with no extra pay-and more than 5 days a week.
2. What safety-the producers just want it down and dirty
3. Never heard of a paid vacation-we just want to keep working (our jobs have been sent overseas)
4. We more than minimum wage but have no guarantees of the next job-the union does nothing to keep us working.
5. The Union is a SHAM-It cares more about making money than protecting it workforce.
6. We have lost many Union benefits thru the years-from a sell out Executive Board- now once again-they are trying to push thru another UNFAIR contract that will put many hard working families without Health Care!
7. Check out the web site 400hours.c
We are the BTL (below the line) Union Members-camera operators, editors, grips, etc
OUR the back-bone to making films-
BUT we are treated like peons-
The glamourous world of filmmaking is a fraud-
The Producers make all the money off the backs of hard working Union People-
and keep fighting to take away all our benefits-
UNIONS ARE NOT BUSINESSES !
All American Unions lets unite together and fight for our PRIDE !
and the Union Made Way !
All through Ms. Solis' confirmation hearing the Republicans were trying to get a sound bite from her for ConservativeTalk Radio to attack her on EFCA .
Her response was to refuse to express her support for the bill, instead repeatedly telling senators that she had not talked with Obama on the issue and could not speak for the incoming administration.
(Anyone who wants to know where she stands on the bill could read this;
http://www
but don't tell the Senate Republicans about it)
This is my favorite (from the LA Times):
Solis also was pressed by Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) about preserving "right to work" laws in states such as his that prohibit employers from requiring workers to be members of a union or to pay dues as condition of employment.
But Solis told Alexander she was "not qualified" to give him a response on the issue, except to say that she believed "that the president-elect feels strongly that American workers should have a choice to join or not to join a union. And to me that is the basic premise of our democracy, whether you want to be associated with a group or not."
One other thing that was not in the article is the Hilda Solis was the first woman to be awarded the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award in 2000 for her work on environmental justice issues.
Isn't it possible that she was LYING? Politicians do that all the time.
It's called salesmanship.
I'll add my voice to the "Amen!" chorus.
I'm surprised this post hasn't received more visits by the HP progressives. Well, for what it's worth, I'm behind this nomination. Hilda Solis is obligated to seeing this through--no bowing before the Republicans.
I am too. Hope it goes through. Labor has been repeatedly beaten down while Wall Street continues to steal from us. Hilda Solis must be confirmed.
Yeah, according to Republican
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