Hilda Solis
Hilda Solis
Hilda Lucia Solisis an American politician and a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for District 1. Solis previously served as the 25th United States Secretary of Labor from 2009 to 2013, as part of the administration of President Barack Obama. She is a member of the Democratic Party and served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009, representing the 31st and 32nd congressional districts of California that include East Los Angeles and...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth20 October 1957
CityLos Angeles, CA
CountryUnited States of America
My father was a member of the Teamsters Union in California, where he helped to organize better health care for workers. My mother worked for more than 20 years on an assembly line.
My role was to bring about fairness in the workplace. All I did was implement the laws that were currently on the books.
People have to be reminded that unions played a very historic role in our economy.
My parents raised me and my six siblings with little money... but lots of love.
In my teens, I worked as an aide in my community supervising and mentoring youth in various programs and delivering lunches to needy students.
No one has the right to threaten the health, education, and well-being of children by involving them in illegal or inappropriate work.
No family should have to depend on the labor of its children to put food on the table and no person should be forced to work in captivity.
Justice is not available to all equally; it is something that many of us must struggle to achieve. As an elected official, I know that fighting for what is just is not always popular but it is necessary; that is the real challenge that public servants face and it is where courage counts the most. Without courage, our action or inaction results in suffering of the few and injustice for all.
My niece was a sexual-assault victim. My sister is a survivor of domestic violence. We have more shelters for animals than for battered women. That's not the message we should be sending.
We need women to go through apprentice programs. I've seen women who did, and who are now highly trained electricians and welders. These are jobs that women are capable of doing.
At times you feel like you're the only voice speaking out to improve the working conditions of people, whether it's to be able to collectively bargain, to get adequate pay, to know that you can come home safe out of a coal mine.
My parents were both union members, and I grew up hearing how important it was to empower workers and have fair labor practices.
Young people need the hands-on training that comes with a summer job. They need to know how to dress for success and nail job interviews. But most of all, they need mentorship, guidance, and inspiration.
Well, I'll tell you, one of things I'm proud of is for someone from Southern California, who didn't grow up around coal mines, I learned a lot that tragic day we lost twenty-nine miners at Upper Big Branch coal mine.