Labor Secretary Hilda Solis told attendees of the AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention in Pittsburgh today that she will work with the White House to “make the strongest case possible for the Employee Free Choice Act” and reiterated her position that the Department of Labor (DOL) “is once again back in the enforcement business.”  Her speech also outlined recent DOL enforcement efforts, and proposed regulations to reform the H-2A temporary agricultural worker program.

With respect to DOL enforcement, Solis announced that the agency is “adding nearly 670 additional investigators, inspectors, and other program staff, returning our worker protection efforts to a level not seen since 2001. So far, these resources has allowed the Wage and Hour Division to ensure that contractors on federal stimulus projects pay their workers the prevailing wage rates that they are entitled to.” Solis emphasized that worker safety is a chief concern, noting that since July, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has completed 689 inspections and issued nearly 1,100 violations resulting in $1.6 million in fines.

Solis touched on immigration reform as well, explaining that the DOL is proposing to restructure the H-2A visa program. According to Solis, the proposed regulations “will reverse what I believe are unjust wage issues and working conditions for vulnerable U.S. and temporary foreign workers,” and “will ensure that before we import temporary workers to meet some labor shortages, U.S. workers have first dibs.”

As for the beleaguered Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), Solis claimed that “it’s not enough to have fair wages and a safe workplace – workers also need a voice on the job!” To that end, Solis pledged to support EFCA, as well as the use of Project Labor Agreements for large federally funded projects.

President Obama is scheduled to speak at the AFL-CIO convention tomorrow.