U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis Visits Northwest Ohio

Continuing his commitment to help Ohioans during this economic crisis, President Obama again dispatched a senior Administration official to Ohio.  This time, making her first trip to Ohio as U.S. Department of Labor Secretary, Hilda Solis was joined by Governor Ted Strickland, UAW Region 2B Director Ken Lortz and Ohio AFL-CIO Chief of Staff Tim Burga and local elected officials and business representatives at a forum hosted by UAW Region 2B at its headquarters in Maumee.

During the panel discussion, Secretary Solis spoke of the Obama administration’s pledge to work with labor and business to “help turn the economy around in Ohio.” In addition to the federal funds made available to Ohio through the President’s federal stimulus effort and the $88 million of support already provided Ohio for extended COBRA health care and unemployment compensation benefits, Secy. Solis committed an $12 million for additional Trade Adjustment Assistance funds.  

As she praised the American workforce for its unmatched work ethic and productivity Secy. Solis spoke of her father’s union experience as shop steward and organizer in California which “left a lasting impression on her to fight for workers’ rights and economic justice.”  She also spoke very clearly about the potential for new energy jobs and that these jobs must pay better than average wages and not be outsourced.

Ohio AFL-CIO Chief of Staff Tim Burga praised Solis for her remarks and encouraged the Administration to help frame the economic debate in a way that will shift the dominant economic philosophy of the last three decades away from a Wall Street model and usher in a worker-first economic model.  Burga remarked that we can only move America forward if we learn from the mistakes of the past which include the designed shift away from a production oriented economy. 

“If we make the restoration of the middle class our top priority by way of introducing a national re-industrialization policy that supports American industry and its workforce we will one day again see not only a thriving manufacturing sector but it will re-invigorate building and construction jobs paying prevailing wages both which will lead to robust public budgets,” Burga said.