Solis to Head Labor Dept.

President-elect Obama intends to nominate Rep. Hilda Solis (D-Calif.) to serve as the nation’s next Labor secretary, according to a Democratic source and an official with the Change to Win labor federation.

Solis, a fourth-term congresswoman, is the first member of Congress of Central American descent. During her tenure in the House, she has focused on healthcare, environmental, immigration and labor issues.

{mosads}Solis does not serve on the House Education and Labor Committee. Her most senior committee assignments are on the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, where she serves as the panel’s fifth-highest-ranking Democrat, and on the Energy and Commerce Committee, where she sits as the 20th most senior Democrat.

Solis has a 93 percent lifetime rating from the AFL-CIO on her performance in Congress.

She is also Obama’s third Hispanic Cabinet nominee. Provided the confirmation process goes smoothly, Solis will join New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) and Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.).

Obama has been under pressure to select Latino officials after Hispanics voted strongly in his favor.

Top officials at Change to Win got word of the pick from Obama’s team on Thursday, the official said. Another individual in the running for the spot withdrew her name from contention Thursday, the official told The Hill.

Change to Win is the nation’s second-largest federation of unions in America. Its affiliates include the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the United Food and Commercial Workers.

Another labor source hailed the decision.

“She’s wonderful,” said the source, who asked to speak on background to avoid getting ahead of top union officials. “She’s always ready to fight on all our issues. She’s a true labor Democrat on all issues.”