WASHINGTON — Rep. Hilda L. Solis (D-El Monte), a Congressional Hispanic Caucus leader considered to be one of the most reliably pro-union voices in the House, is President-elect Barack Obama's choice to head the Labor Department, a Democratic official said Thursday.
Obama is expected to announce the selection at a news conference today in Chicago.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday, December 24, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 2 inches; 63 words Type of Material: Correction
Hilda L. Solis: A Section A article on Friday about Rep. Hilda L. Solis (D-El Monte), who is President-elect Barack Obama's nominee for Labor secretary, said that "before winning her congressional seat, Solis spent 18 years in the Legislature in Sacramento." It was eight years. Solis was elected to the California Legislature in 1992 and to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000.
Solis, 51, would be the third Latino member of Obama's Cabinet, a measure of diversity that has garnered praise from this fast-growing slice of the electorate.
After Obama nominated New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to be his Commerce secretary, some Latino officials complained that they were being shut out of the most prestigious Cabinet posts. Richardson at one time had been rumored to be in line for secretary of State, before Obama offered him the Commerce slot.
Rep. Joe Baca (D-Rialto) had cautioned that Obama's legislative agenda might face roadblocks unless more Latinos were installed in top positions.
Since then, Obama has said he will nominate Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.) as secretary of the Interior, and now Solis as Labor secretary. Prominent Latino officials are now praising the new Cabinet's makeup.
In an interview Thursday, Baca said: "We're glad he listened to our voices and listened to the Hispanic community that came out and delivered for him on election day. It's a great day for the Hispanic community."
Solis did not return calls for comment.
Elected to Congress in 2000 from a district that includes swaths of East L.A. and the San Gabriel Valley, Solis has consistently voted in support of labor's interests. A congressional voting analysis conducted by the AFL-CIO showed that she voted with organized labor 100% of the time last year.
She supported measures increasing the minimum wage, making it easier for workers to organize and preserving a ban on privatizing jobs at the Labor Department. Other labor groups that study congressional voting patterns gave her a 100% rating in 2005 and 2006.
J.P. Fielder, spokesman for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, suggested that Solis' voting record is overly weighted in labor's favor. "The business community recognizes that economic growth has happened in a number of non-unionized states. She has sided with the AFL-CIO in 97% of the votes that she has cast on the Hill," he said.
