24 February 2009
The Cabinet
Labor
Secretary Hilda Solis
Confirmed February 24
Hilda Solis was selected by President-elect Barack Obama on December 19 to be the next secretary of labor. She previously served in the California Assembly and State Senate, where she was California's first female Hispanic state senator. (See “Road to the White House.”)
Confirmation hearing January 9. The text of Solis's prepared testimony (PDF, 4 pages) is available on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Web site.
The Department of Labor, established 1913
Mission: To foster, promote and develop the welfare of working people, to improve their working conditions, and to advance their opportunities for profitable employment.
Staff: 16,800 full-time employees
Duties: The department administers federal labor laws pertaining to worker safety and benefits, overtime pay and minimum hourly wage, freedom from employment discrimination and unemployment insurance.
History: The first executive department with authority over labor issues was the Department of Commerce and Labor, created in 1903. President William Howard Taft signed legislation to create a separate Department of Labor hours before he left office in 1913. The first woman to serve in a U.S. president’s Cabinet was Frances Perkins, who joined Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration as secretary of labor in 1933.
International engagement: The department’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs oversees U.S. participation in international labor programs and organizations, and promotes fair labor standards and practices worldwide.
Fun fact: The department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics compiles and publishes detailed information about how Americans spend their time, such as this summary of Thanksgiving Day activities.
More information: http://www.dol.gov
