UPDATE: Solicitor of Labor Nominee Confirmed
Written by Bruce Goldstein Friday, 29 January 2010 09:47
On Wednesday, the Senate voted 60 to 37 to confirm Patricia Smith as Solicitor of Labor and she was sworn in. Ms. Smith, the labor commissioner for New York State, is now the chief lawyer for the U.S.Department of Labor and is responsible for enforcement of the wage and hour laws and the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act ("AWPA"). Her confirmation is good news for working people.
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On Monday, 60 Senators voted to move forward on the Solicitor of Labor nomination, overcoming the threatened filibuster on Patricia Smith. A formal vote on the nomination itself should happen Wednesday. Yay!
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Senate Majority Leader Reid on Thursday filed a motion for “cloture” seeking to overcome a threatened filibuster by winning 60 votes to end debate on two nominations that have been held up. One of them is M. Patricia Smith, the nominee for the position of Solicitor of Labor, the Department of Labor’s chief attorney, who is responsible for enforcing employment laws such as the FLSA, AWPA, OSHA, FMLA, ERISA, and a host of other acronyms that stand for vitally important laws to protect working people. Ms. Smith is the labor commission for the state of New York and is highly respected for finding effective ways to enforce employment laws for low-wage workers. Reid’s move could bring to a conclusion the unwarranted hold on Smith’s nomination by next week. We hope the Senate acts responsibly by finally confirming this worthy nominee. Unfortunately, the position of Wage and Hour Administrator is still unfilled; the previous nominee withdrew due to the Senate's delay.
Why is it that some Senators claim to want law enforcement but when it comes to labor law enforcement for working people, they take all steps they can to obstruct enforcement of longstanding laws, like the minimum wage? Just asking.
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