Tuesday, February 2, 2010

NYS LABOR COMMISSIONER BECOMES TOP U.S. LABOR LAWYER

M. Patricia Smith


Washington, D.C.--  On February 1, The Senate voted 60-32 to end debate on the nomination of M. Patricia Smith, clearing her way for confirmation as solicitor of labor and breaking the stranglehold Republicans had put on her to be the nation's top labor lawyer.

President Obama nominated Smith nine months ago, where Republicans have been using any and all obstruction tactics to block a vote on her nomination.  She is currently New York state's labor commissioner.

Prior to being named labor commissioner of New York, Smith served for 20 years as an attorney in the Labor Bureau of the New York state Attorney General’s Office, working for both Democratic and Republican administrations. She represented New York in cases involving its labor standards, workplace safety and health, unemployment insurance, apprentice training and prevailing wage statutes.

The solicitor of labor oversees enforcement of the nation's most important labor laws and set enforcement priorities.  To read an AFL-CIO blog on this development, please click here





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