Lorelei Boylan

Labor Department Solicitor Adopts Plan to Bully Employers

Submitted by Carl Horowitz on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 12:34

Patricia Smith photoWhen Department of Labor Solicitor M. Patricia "Trisha" Smith testified at a Senate confirmation hearing more than a year and a half ago, her track record as New York State Commissioner of Labor, and her comments about it, prompted leading Republicans to postpone action for several months. Their fears in hindsight appear well-founded. An article appearing in last Friday's Wall Street Journal reported that DOL staff, under Smith's supervision, a couple months earlier had issued a draft "operating plan" to dramatically step up enforcement against private-sector employers likely to have committed unfair labor practices. The details of the now-adopted plan indicate Smith, like her boss, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, views the department's relationship with business as necessarily highly adversarial.

Senate Confirms Patricia Smith as Labor Department Solicitor

Submitted by Carl Horowitz on Fri, 02/12/2010 - 18:40

U.S. Department of LaborIf the nomination of pro-union radical Craig Becker for the National Labor Relations Board couldn't survive congressional scrutiny, Obama administration officials are taking heart that another nominee for a major labor policymaking post has passed muster. On Thursday, February 4, the Senate voted 60 to 37 to approve M. Patricia Smith, labor commissioner for the State of New York, as the new solicitor for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the department's chief law interpreter-enforcer and third-ranking official. The vote occurred after several months of delay and three days after a 60-32 cloture vote. Certain Republican lawmakers had expressed concerns that she had made deceptive statements back during her May 7 confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

Labor Department Solicitor Nomination Continues to Raise Concerns

Submitted by Carl Horowitz on Tue, 09/01/2009 - 16:32

U.S. Department of Labor logoThe Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the prime venues for President Obama's attempt to unite governance and community activism. But he's having an unexpectedly tough time conveying his enthusiasm to the Senate. Nearly four months ago, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a hearing on the confirmation of M. Patricia "Trisha" Smith to become the DOL's next solicitor, which is the third highest post in the department behind secretary and deputy secretary. Yet the appointment remains up in the air. That's because Republicans on the committee are concerned Smith may replicate a program she recently initiated as current labor commissioner for the State of New York. Internal memos obtained by GOP committee aides suggest a less than full commitment on her part to enforce the nation's labor laws in an objective manner.

Obama Labor Department Nominees Would Forge Partnerships with Unions, Community Activists

Submitted by Carl Horowitz on Mon, 06/01/2009 - 01:23

Community activistsOne of the hallmarks of Barack Obama's political career has been his view that the worlds of governance and community activism should blend. By encouraging public office holders to work closely with grass-roots organizers and by hiring some of the more experienced organizers (especially those already with a government background) for federal positions, he believes, our nation can realize long-overdue institutional change. If the president's recent nominations for two key positions with the Department of Labor are any indication, he's making good on his rhetoric. The nominees, M. Patricia "Trisha" Smith and Lorelei Boylan, are outspoken advocates for organized labor. And they're not above using Left-leaning community activists to enforce regulations.

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