| Hilda Solis' belief in unions runs deep |
| Friday, January 09, 2009 |
By Dan Morain and Evelyn Larrubia
Los Angeles Times
Obama has made a point of appointing moderates to his Cabinet. Solis would be one of the most liberal members.
As Labor secretary, she would oversee a $10.5-billion budget and enforcement of workplace laws, a prospect that worries business leaders.
"She didn't win our Spirit of Enterprise Award," quipped Randy Johnson, a U.S. Chamber of Commerce executive.
Former state Sen. Ray Haynes, a Republican who tangled with Solis when she headed a budget subcommittee, called her "a committed liberal in the pockets of labor."
As Congress opens, labor issues are at the forefront. One bill would make it easier for victims of pay discrimination to sue. Solis pressed for pay equity legislation more than a decade ago. A bill that Solis co-sponsored last year would make it easier for unions to organize workers.
Backed by unions, Solis won her congressional seat in 2000 by knocking off an incumbent Democrat who had run afoul of labor by voting for the North American Free Trade Agreement.
With a relatively low Washington profile, she was on no one's short list to head the Department of Labor. But labor leaders have welcomed the choice.
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