AFL-CIO President John Sweeney praised President-elect Obama’s nomination of Rep. Hilda Solis, (D-Calif.) as secretary of labor. In a statement released to the press, Sweeney said: “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. She’s proven to be a passionate leader and advocate for all working families. In fact, she’s voted with working men and women 97 percent of the time.”

A member of Congress since 2001, Solis, 51, co-authored the Green Jobs Act, which later became part of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, according to the AFL-CIO press release. The Green Jobs Act authorized $125 million for workforce training programs targeted to veterans, displaced workers, at-risk youth and individuals in families under 200 percent of the federal poverty line.

Solis also voted for and supports the Employee Free Choice Act, according to the union’s press release.