Solis steps down from DOL

Washington – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced her resignation Jan. 9.

In a statement sent to Department of Labor employees, Solis described "extraordinary things” achieved during her tenure, including a record-low number of mine fatalities in 2011 and historic drops in general industry and construction fatalities.

Solis – who began her term with the declaration of “a new sheriff in town” – has been both praised and criticized for the current administration’s enforcement-heavy approach.

Before leading DOL, she served in the House from 2001 to 2009.

“Leaving the department is one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made, because I have taken our mission to heart,” she stated. “As the daughter of parents who worked in factories, paid their union dues and achieved their goal of a middle-class life, and as the first Latina to head a major federal agency, it has been an incredible honor to serve.”

President Barack Obama issued a statement applauding her efforts to protect workers and improve the economy, calling Solis a “tireless champion for working families.”