Solis sworn in as Labor secretary

11:05 AM | March 13, 2009

Former Rep. Hilda Solis (D-El Monte) was sworn in as U.S. Secretary of Labor today in Washington by Vice President Joe Biden. Before the oath was administered, Biden told the group gathered at the U.S. Department of Labor headquarters that Solis will fight for the rights of workers.

"Things like fairness in the workplace and workplace safety are not just idle phrases that are to be debated in Hilda's mind; they're real," Biden said. "They affect real live people. They're real concerns that people face every single day. She knows that a job is more than about a paycheck. ... A job is about dignity. A job is about respect. Hilda understands that."

Solis, 51, had faced a series of problems, including revelations of $6,400 in outstanding tax liens owed on her husband's auto repair business. But her path to confirmation was cleared last month when Republicans ended plans to invoke a rule that would have forced a filibuster-proof 60 votes for confirmation.

Solis' nomination initially stalled over her role in a nonprofit group that lobbied for the much-contested Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that would make it easier for workers to form unions.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2 ... solis.html