"There is no reason for the Senate to delay confirmation of Patricia Smith"    

There is no reason for the Senate to delay confirmation of Patricia Smith as Solicitor of the Department of Labor. Wednesday the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee voted to recommend her nomination to the full Senate.  Now it's time for working women and men to have a full team enforcing our wage and hour, safety and health, pension and other laws.   

The excuses being offered to hold up Commissioner Smith's confirmation appear to be less about legitimate questions about her qualifications and more about her willingness to ferret out employers who trample on their workers' right to be paid the wages they have earned, whether it's the minimum wage or overtime pay for extra hours of work.

Patricia Smith has the qualifications and ability to be a strong and effective solicitor and a vital part of the enforcement of America's labor laws. As Labor Commissioner of New York, she demonstrated her commitment to upholding that state's wage and hour laws—and in doing so, she won praise not only from unions and other worker advocates but also from business. New York State's Business Council supports her appointment, describing her enforcement of labor laws as "thorough, fair and judicious" and her communications with business as "open, honest, candid and frequent."

We urge the Senate to move swiftly and confirm Patricia Smith as Solicitor of the Department of Labor.

Contact:  Eddie Vale 202-637-5018