Labor Secretary Hilda Solis Resigns

Author: Ché Blackwood, XpertHR Assistant Editor

On January 10, Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Hilda Solis resigned from her post after nearly four years of service. Solis's departure, credited to her desire "to begin a new future," is not expected to significantly impact the department's current enforcement policies.

Solis began overseeing the DOL in 2009, and has been renowned for her resilient efforts in assisting the American working class during the most severe recession in decades. In a letter released on January 9, Solis commended the DOL's achievements over the last four years, highlighting accomplishments such as assisting with federally funded job training, investing in community colleges to assist schools in providing flexible employer-specific job training in local communities, administering more than $67 billion for unemployment insurance benefits under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, recovering nearly $5 billion worth of back wages for retirees and reducing mining fatalities, among other actions.

In a statement released by the White House, President Obama referred to Solis as "a tireless champion for working families" and described her as a "critical member of my economic team as we have worked to recover from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression."