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Solis confirmed! Victory for Progressives and Employee Free Choice |
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The Senate has confirmed Hilda Solis as the next Secretary of Labor by a vote of 80 - 17! (Roll call and such coming.) (Roll call here. We got a majority of Republicans even!)
This is a huge progressive victory. As noted by Meteor Blades at Daily Kos:
Solis would arguably be the most liberal appointee in Obama’s Cabinet. Daughter of immigrant father who became a Teamster organizer at a battery recycling factory and an immigrant mother who worked a factory line, she’s never been one to give mere lip service to labor issues. She was a key player in a hard-won voter-initiative fight over the California minimum wage, an increase of which then-Gov. Pete Wilson had vetoed. She’s been solidly behind environmental protections, particularly in the arena of environmental justice. Having been raised near a landfill east of Los Angeles, she authored 1999 state legislation that called for “the fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, and incomes with respect to the development, adoption, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws,” the first such law in the nation.
What’s more, given her strong progressive bona-fides and her vote in the House for the Employee Free Choice Act, we can safely say that the first battle over passing the Employee Free Choice Act has been won. I think it’s safe to expect strong support for unions and working families from Secretary Solis, and that includes supporting Free Choice.
Big business has been dealt an important structural and public relations blow today. They’ll have an enemy in the White House with a powerful voice and a history of effective communication. We’re gonna win this one, folks.
(Oh, and take a moment to send a note of thanks to the Senate for doing the right thing here.)
