Hoffa Calls on Senate to Confirm Hilda Solis as Labor Secretary

(Washington, DC) – Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa issued the following statement regarding today’s confirmation hearing for Rep. Hilda Solis, D-Calif., President-elect Barack Obama’s nominee for Labor Secretary.

“Rep. Hilda Solis will be an outstanding Labor Secretary and I urge the Senate to confirm her without delay so she can focus on strengthening our middle class and restoring protections for workers that have eroded under the Bush administration.

“The daughter of a Teamster, Solis has always been a champion of workers. She knows that restoring balance to an economy that favors excessive profits over workplace fairness and commitment to community is the only way out of our economic crisis.

“The dire unemployment report released today by the Labor Department underscores the urgency in addressing the economic insecurity of workers in this country. The nation lost 2.6 million jobs last year – the most since 1945. The unemployment rate stands at the highest level in 16 years. It is time for swift and bold action, including quick passage of Obama’s economic recovery package.”

“Solis’ commitment to America’s workers comes from her roots growing up in a middle-class home, and she has made it her mission to improve the lives of working men and women who are fighting for the American Dream. Now more than ever, workers in this country need a friend like Solis at the Labor Department, an agency that has been a greater friend to corporations in the last eight years than the workers it was founded to protect. The Teamsters Union is confident that Solis will restore the agency to its original mission.

“We look forward to working closely with Secretary-designate Solis. We urge the Senate to confirm her quickly.” 

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.