Breaking News: Senate confirms Solis as labor secretary

The Associated Press Reports: WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has confirmed California congresswoman Hilda Solis as President Barack Obama's labor secretary. Solis' confirmation gives the agency a decidedly pro-worker tilt after eight years of business-friendly leadership under the Bush administration.

Breaking News: Obama Select Latina, Daughter of Migrants, as Secretary of Labor!

President elect Obama selected Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA) as Secretary of Labor! Ms. Solis is the daughter of two migrant workers and union members.
Ms. Solis was born in Los Angeles, California, was educated at Cal Poly Pomona and then earned a master's degree at University of Southern California. She served in the Carter White House in the Office of Hispanic Affairs and later became an analyst with the Office of Management and Budget. She was elected as a member of the California State Assembly in 1992 and after one term one election to the California State Senate before entering the House. In the California legislature, she became well known for authoring bills to prevent domestic violence. She was the first Hispanic woman to ever serve in the state's senate. Ms. Solis has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 2001, representing the 32nd District of California.
CNN is reporting:
"Labor unions Thursday praised President-elect Barack Obama's selection to head the Labor Department, Rep. Hilda Solis. Obama has enjoyed the support of organized labor since the campaign season, when the AFL-CIO, the nation's largest labor organization, endorsed him for president, calling him "a champion for working families."
As a senator, Obama co-sponsored the Employee Free-Choice Act, which was designed to make it easier to create unions in the workplace. Supporters of the plan, including the AFL-CIO, said it would increase the number of union members in the United States and lead to better wages and benefits for workers.
If confirmed, Solis would be the third Hispanic to serve in Obama's Cabinet, along with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who is Obama's choice for secretary of commerce, and Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar, who Obama tapped to be secretary of the interior."
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said the nation's largest organized labor organization was "thrilled" that Solis would be the next labor secretary. "For Rep. Solis, serving as secretary of labor will not just be a job, but the culmination of a lifetime of action serving as a voice for people who work," Stern said. AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said the nation's largest organized labor organization was "thrilled" that Solis would be the next labor secretary. "We're confident that she will return to the labor department one of its core missions -- to defend workers' basic rights in our nation's workplaces," Sweeney said.