Posted on March 27th, 2009 by Tim Eavenson | No Comments »
Filed under: HR Issues, Politics | 
If you missed it, the Government Accountability Office issued a report of its investigation into the Department of Labor’s enforcement of wage and hour laws (that’s overtime and minimum wage stuff, mostly).
It was not complimentary:
GAO found that WHD frequently responded inadequately to complaints, leaving low wage workers vulnerable to wage theft. Posing as fictitious complainants, GAO filed 10 common complaints with WHD district offices across the country. The undercover tests revealed sluggish response times, a poor complaint intake process, and failed conciliation attempts, among other problems. In one case, a WHD investigator lied about investigative work performed and did not investigate GAO’s fictitious complaint. At the end of the undercover tests, GAO was still waiting for WHD to begin investigating three cases—a delay of nearly 5, 4, and 2 months, respectively.
Newly-minted Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis has released a response, outlining her plans for the investigative unit. The text of the DOL press release is below.
WASHINGTON — Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement:
“I take the issues raised by the Government Accountability Office investigation regarding past Wage and Hour Division enforcement very seriously.
“As secretary of labor, I am committed to ensuring that every worker is paid at least the minimum wage, that those who work overtime are properly compensated, that child labor laws are strictly enforced and that every worker is provided a safe and healthful environment.
“The department’s Wage and Hour Division has already begun the process of adding 150 new investigators to its field offices to refocus the agency on these enforcement responsibilities. In addition, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the agency will hire 100 investigators to ensure that contractors on stimulus projects are in compliance with the applicable laws. The addition of these 250 new field investigators, a staff increase of more than a third, will reinvigorate the work of this important agency, which has suffered a loss of experienced personnel over the last several years.
“The U.S. Department of Labor is the voice for working families, and I am dedicated to ensuring compliance with federal labor laws to both strengthen our economy and protect workers in this country.”
###
Posted on February 24th, 2009 by Tim Eavenson | No Comments »
Filed under: ., Labor Law, Politics |
After weeks (and weeks) of delay, prompted by Republicans concerned about her pro-union past, the U.S. Senate voted 80-17 to confirm Rep. Hilda Solis as Secretary of Labor.
According to the New York Times, Republicans were insisting that Solis’s appointment be subject to a 60-vote preliminary round until today, when they finally agreed to let the daughter of union-member immigrants get her vote and go to work.
Held up at the Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (“HELP”) Committee, and then on the Senate floor, Ms. Solis’s appointment became an early lightning rod in the inevitable upcoming battle over the Employee Free Choice Act, a longsuffering bill that will either “restore the American dream” or destroy the rest of the American economy, depending on who you talk to. (Really, it will tip the scale of influence heavily in the unions’ favor during unionizing campaigns by replacing secret-ballot elections with yes-or-no cards union campaigners can pass out at any time.)
In a more common delay (at least for this administration), Ms. Solis also lost ground when her husband’s $6,400 tax lien payment was disclosed the day before her nomination was to be confirmed by the HELP committee.
This battle over her affiliation with pro-union groups conveniently ignores the fact that, as head of the Department of Labor, Ms. Solis will have a lot more to do with unemployment statistics than any union-related policies or practices, and practically no political influence over EFCA at all.
As with most politicians, I reserve judgment on Ms. Solis until she gets to work. She could be ineffectual, biding time while her boss sorts out the economy. She could also be a fresh voice on employment issues. She could also be the Democrat’s Elaine Chao (who was so pro-business American Rights at Work gave her her own catchy-named website). For now, let’s all agree that at least we have the chance to find out.
Posted on January 21st, 2009 by Tim Eavenson | No Comments »
Filed under: ., Labor Law, Politics |
Politico is reporting that some Republican Senators may be campaigning to block the approval of Secretary of Labor nominee Hilda Solis.
The GOP is ostensibly upset that Solis dodged certain questions during her confirmation hearing last week. From the article:
“She answered no questions,” said Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. “If she won’t answer the questions, how can you support the nomination?”
During the California Democrat’s Jan. 9 confirmation hearing, Solis repeatedly told senators that she could not speak for the incoming Obama administration on the card check bill, and she told Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) that she was “not qualified” to speak about maintaining right-to-work laws that prohibit workers from paying union dues as a condition of employment.
This, of course, has little to do with Congresswoman Solis’s answers at her hearing. The Republican Senators on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee have enough background on Solis to know exactly where she stands on these laws. As we noted earlier, Solis has been a champion of labor since her days in the California legislature. Plus, with 58 Democratically-controlled seats and at least some Republican support, Solis’ approval by the Senate is near-certain.
It is much more likely that the GOP is using Solis’s appointment as a shot across the bow of the new administration. By gumming up Solis’s confirmation a little, the Republican minority is letting President Obama and their Democratic counterparts in the Senate know that the fight over labor-changing laws like EFCA will not be quick and easy, either.
