WASHINGTON, DC - After President Obama nominated Assistant U.S. Attorney General Thomas Perez to be the next U.S. Secretary of Labor, Mary Kay Henry, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), issued the following statement:

President Obama has made an excellent choice in nominating Thomas Perez to lead the U.S. Department of Labor. During his time as Labor Secretary in Maryland, Mr. Perez's had a strong record of enforcing labor laws, especially wage and hour and other violations that stood in the way of workers earning a fair wage. Enforcing these labor laws help to close the income gap between the wealthy and everyone else.

"His driven leadership of the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department also makes him a highly qualified nominee. During his time at the Justice Department, Mr. Perez has initiated many important challenges to state and local laws that sought to infringe on the civil rights of minority communities and of all Americans.

"The Senate should move quickly to confirm Mr. Perez. Should he be confirmed, we look forward to working with Mr. Perez to protect workers' rights, to pursue commonsense immigration reform and to address the many other challenges facing working families in our country."

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