[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 54 (Wednesday, April 30, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3836-S3841]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXECUTIVE SESSION
______
NOMINATION OF ALEXIS M. HERMAN, OF ALABAMA, TO BE SECRETARY OF LABOR
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now
go into executive session to consider Executive Calendar No. 70, the
nomination of Alexis Herman to be Secretary of Labor. I further ask
that there be 30 minutes of debate on the nomination to be equally
divided between the chairman and ranking minority manager; I further
ask unanimous consent that immediately following the expiration or
yielding back of the time, the Senate proceed to a vote on the
confirmation of the nomination, and immediately following the vote the
President be notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate then
return to legislative session.
Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, and I only
do so to commend the distinguished majority leader for his work in
bringing us to this point. This has been the subject of extraordinary
discussion and negotiation. It would not have been possible were it not
for his cooperation and the work by several Senators, including the
distinguished chairman of the Labor Committee and the ranking member,
who are on the floor at this time. I thank the majority leader for his
effort, and I appreciate very much the work to bring us to this point.
I have no objection.
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, before the Chair rules on the unanimous
consent request, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Ashcroft). The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I renew my request for a unanimous-consent
agreement that we proceed to Calendar No. 70, the nomination of Alexis
Herman to be Secretary of Labor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the request?
Hearing no objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I do want to thank the distinguished
Democratic leader for his comments. He knows quite well that there had
been concerns, initially, about this nominee. I have been satisfied
that she is qualified for the job. But I didn't know all the details of
allegations or problems that had been identified. The committee, under
the leadership of the chairman, took their time, they looked into the
potential problems and allegations, and they finally took a vote. I
believe it was a unanimous voice vote. Members of the committee had
adequate time to look into these potential problems. I think the
nominee has assured Senators that her conduct is going to be very
circumspect as Secretary of Labor. I am satisfied that she will do that
and that she will work with the Congress and the Senate, on both sides
of the aisle, and will do a good job as Secretary of Labor.
Now, the second problem, of course, has been the idea that there
would be an Executive order with regard to Federal union contracting.
There has been a considerable amount of concern, as the Senator knows,
about this being done through Executive order. We feel that should be
done by the Congress with recommendations and time for consideration.
But we have worked out an understanding with the administration of how
this matter will be handled. Based on their assurances, which we feel
they will honor, we felt it was appropriate to proceed with this
nominee.
I want to say, again, that the nominee was not the problem over the
last few weeks. The problem was an understanding about how labor law
should be changed. I think we have reached a point where we can enter
into this agreement. I thank the assistant majority leader, Don
Nickles, for his effort. He is knowledgeable in this area. He has been
aggressive in trying to identify the problem and trying to find a
solution. I did have a chance to discuss this last night with the
President. He has had an opportunity to discuss it with representatives
from the White House, and I feel that an amicable arrangement has been
reached.
I yield the floor.
Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I thank the majority leader for his
explanation and for his description of the current set of
circumstances. We have known now for some time that the delay in
confirming Ms. Herman had little to do with her qualifications or the
degree to which there was support on the Senate floor. It had to do
with the dispute over Federal contracting.
I am pleased that the dispute has ended and that we find some
applicable resolution to that issue. I have not seen the details of
that particular agreement, but I am very pleased that, at long last,
Ms. Herman will have the
[[Page S3837]]
opportunity to serve in her new capacity as Secretary of Labor. We look
forward to working with her, and it is my expectation that there will
be an overwhelming vote this afternoon on her behalf.
We look forward to beginning as early as next week to see her in
office and working closely with us on an array of very important
matters to be taken up in the next 2 years.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Faircloth). The nomination will be stated.
The legislative clerk read the nomination of Alexis M. Herman, of
Alabama, to be Secretary of Labor.
Mr. JEFFORDS addressed the Chair.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont.
Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I rise today before the Senate to
recommend that we approve the nomination of Ms. Alexis M. Herman to
serve as Secretary of Labor.
Ms. Herman's career has been filled with many firsts. In 1977, Ms.
Herman was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to be the first African-
American woman to lead the Women's Bureau. Twenty years later, Ms.
Herman is poised to become the first African-American woman to serve as
Secretary of Labor.
To be appointed and confirmed as the Secretary of Labor is one of the
greatest honors that our Nation can bestow upon an individual. It is an
honor, however, that comes with a heavy burden of responsibility.
Individuals who hold this office become stewards of the public trust
and bear a great responsibility to the working men and women of
America. It is my hope and my sincere expectation that Alexis Herman
will preserve this trust and serve our country ably and effectively as
Secretary of Labor.
Ms. Herman will take the helm of the Department of Labor at a
critical juncture in its history. The passage of welfare reform has
made the strengthening of our job-training programs more important than
ever. People must be able to obtain skills that will lead to secure
jobs. Workers are entitled to fair pay in a safe environment. And while
a great deal of attention is being focused on the future of the Social
Security system, it is incumbent upon us to ensure the stability and
expand the reach of the private pension system as well. I have devoted
my career to these issues and I look forward to working with Ms. Herman
to strengthen the Department of Labor's education and training programs
and improve the quality of life of working men and women.
It is because of my belief in and support for the mission of the
Department that I have done my best to thoroughly review the background
of this nominee. The pace may have seemed slow to some people but I was
convinced then, as I am now, that it is better to take the time to do
this job properly.
Our efforts were complicated by ongoing revelations of White House
fundraising activities and by the announcement that the Office of
Public Liaison, which the nominee was heading, was, and continues to
be, the subject of an investigation by the Office of Special Counsel.
But our efforts are now complete and the committee recommends that the
Senate confirm Ms. Herman as Secretary of Labor.
Ms. Herman brings a unique set of skills and experience to the
position of Secretary of Labor. In the mid-1970's she administered a
pioneering program in Atlanta that helped minority women obtain white
collar jobs. From 1977 until 1981, she served as the Director of the
Women's Bureau under President Jimmy Carter. In this capacity she led
the Department of Labor's efforts to identify and address the needs of
working women across the country.
Over the years, Ms. Herman has earned a reputation for her ability to
build coalitions and work effectively with groups holding disparate and
divergent political views. It is my hope that these skills will be used
to seriously address our Nation's workplace and work force development
needs as we prepare for the 21st century.
We have an ambitious legislative agenda for this year--already the
committee has reported S. 4, the Family Friendly Workplace Act, and S.
295, the Teamwork for Employees and Managers Act of 1997. These bills
represent critical responses to the vast changes in the American
workplace--changes that are unrecognized in a body of labor law
unchanged since the Great Depression. Employers and employees should be
working with, not against, each other whether it's figuring out a
problem on the shop floor or in an employee's schedule.
Over the next few months we will develop legislation to better
integrate education and job training programs and we will begin to
explore ways to improve the security and soundness of the private
pension system. These legislative initiatives will have profound
implications for the economic competitiveness of our Nation and for the
quality of life of American workers. We will only succeed in these
efforts if we have leadership from the Secretary and a firm commitment
to avoid partisan politics in the interest of addressing critical
national needs.
I believe that Ms. Herman will be a full partner in these endeavors
and that she will join us in our effort to improve the quality of life
of working men and women. I look forward to working with her in her new
capacity as Secretary of Labor.
I reserve the remainder of my time.
Mr. KENNEDY addressed the Chair.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts is recognized.
Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, as I understand it, we have 15 minutes.
Am I correct?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. That is correct.
Mr. KENNEDY. I yield myself 7 minutes at this time.
Mr. President, first of all, I want to extend our appreciation to the
majority and minority leaders for working out this agreement where
within the hour the Senate will go on record by an overwhelming vote in
behalf of an outstanding nominee for Secretary of Labor. I am grateful
to them for working out this agreement.
I thank especially the chairman of our committee, Senator Jeffords,
for the way that he has handled this nomination. Nominations come and
nominations go. But the fairness and thoroughness with which he handled
this nominee I think reflects extremely well, not only on our committee
but on the institution as a whole. It was exhaustive. It was extensive.
It was probing. It was searching, as any review should be. And at the
end of the day we were able to see the result of this very thorough
review in the unanimous vote by the committee. That is the way that it
should be done.
All of us in this body, and I think all Americans, will be grateful
for the fact that we will have a Secretary of Labor who will be at the
President's elbow and will speak for working men and women in this
country. But at this time, all of us in the Senate should know the
outstanding job that she has done.
Mr. President, I am delighted that we have freed ourselves from the
position that was taken by some Members here on the floor who differed
with the President's authority to issue an executive order encouraging
the use of project labor agreements on Federal construction sites.
I think, if we look back over the history of project labor
agreements, we would see that they have been effective, they have
worked, and they have saved resources. These are voluntary agreements.
The Supreme Court has upheld their use on public sector construction
sites. Clearly the President is justified in urging the use of those
kinds of agreements when they are appropriate.
This morning in the Labor Committee, we heard the outstanding
testimony of John Dunlop, who is the former Secretary of Labor, under a
Republican administration, who, as the architect of many project labor
agreements, reviewed in some detail just how they work, how they
function, and the reasons for them. He made a very powerful and
convincing case for project labor agreements. But now we have worked
out a satisfactory way in which the President will issue a memorandum
on that issue which will encourage these project labor agreements to go
forward where they are appropriate. And now we are moving ahead with
the nominee.
So I would also like to commend Senator Jeffords for outlining the
challenges that are going to be there for the Secretary. When I arrived
in the Senate, men and women were working
[[Page S3838]]
down at the Fall River Shipyard, building ships in Quincy, MA. They
worked there with a high school diploma. They had a good job, and a
good income. Their father generally had worked at the Fall River
Shipyard, and even their grandfathers worked there and built some of
the best ships we had in World War II, and many outstanding commercial
ships as well. It is an entirely different labor market today. Everyone
who enters it will have seven different jobs over the period of their
lifetime at least.
The importance of having a well-trained and skilled work force is an
enormous challenge for our country. We are looking forward to working
with the members of our committee to try to play our role in making
sure that we are going to see that those kinds of opportunities are
going to be available to workers in the future.
I would like to take, Mr. President, the remaining moments here today
just to speak about this really extraordinary nominee.
I see my colleague and friend, the good Senator from Illinois, has
joined us, who has been such a strong supporter of the nominee, and
will speak. My friend, Senator Wellstone, will speak as well.
If we are looking at a success story, we are looking at the life of
Alexis Herman. If we are looking for personal resolution,
determination, and personal moral courage and physical courage, we are
looking at the history of Alexis Herman who, with her mother--who
taught her to read at a very early age, in Mobile, AL--traveled as her
mother was involved in one of the early literacy programs. She attended
a Catholic school in Mobile, AL, that was segregated, and brought the
truth to power when she challenged that school to integrate. The school
resisted those entreaties. And, finally, a year later they admitted
blacks into that school as a result of the determination and
perserverance of this extraordinary young woman. She traveled and
worked to try to bring African-American women into the work force in
many of the institutions and companies of this country with great,
great success.
Her life has been one of service. She has been an outstanding
assistant to the President of the United States with outreach programs,
trying to work to make sure that the message that was going to be
coming from the White House was going to be an all-inclusive message,
and one that was going to move the country along together and not at
the expense of any individuals or any groups.
She served with great distinction under Ray Marshall, who was
Secretary of Labor under President Carter. And Ray Marshall is one of
the country's most thoughtful leaders on all of the issues affecting
the training of workers and upgrading their skills. And his support--
his clear, eloquent comments about the work that Alexis Herman did when
she worked with Ray Marshall constitute one of the most outstanding
tributes that I have ever heard about any worker in any Cabinet
position.
So the President of the United States has nominated her to be the
Secretary of Labor. We will, I think, have an extraordinary person, one
who can bring innovation and creativity, one who can reach out to
working families; one who has special insights into the challenges that
are out there for workers in a changing world.
Alexis Herman exemplifies many of our most important national values.
She leads by example, and has a distinguished history of bringing
others along. She grew up poor in the segregated South, and she
succeeded through talent, energy, and commitment. She has had a
lifelong commitment to the principle of helping others to help
themselves.
As I mentioned, her mother, who once was Alabama's Teacher of the
Year, brought Alexis with her as she taught reading to children and
adults. Alexis' first summer job was teaching reading at an inner-city
housing project.
After graduating from Xavier University in New Orleans, she returned
to Mobile as a social worker. She counseled delinquent youths, helped
place children in foster homes, and worked to assist families in
dealing with issues such as teenage pregnancy.
She saw that lack of skills and opportunities were keeping many of
Mobile's black citizens from achieving their full potential.
Alexis then spent several years running a pilot program in Atlanta to
place African-American women in white collar positions. Included in the
hundreds of letters the committee received in support of Ms. Herman's
nomination were a number of letters from African-American female
executives who credited Alexis with starting them on their careers. One
woman who is now a vice president at the American Cancer Society wrote
that she recalled that Alexis ``advised the wisdom of getting my foot
in the door first and foremost. From there, she said the rest would be
up to me.''
Another letter noted that the pilot project Alexis ran placed more
African-American women in management positions in Atlanta during its
first year in operation than the U.S. Employment Service had placed in
its entire history in the city.
As I mentioned, in 1977, when Ray Marshall became Secretary of Labor
in President Carter's administration, he asked her to become head of
the Department's Women's Bureau--the youngest Director ever. She worked
on expanding opportunities for women in skilled trades, helped
displaced homemakers obtain the tools necessary to succeed in the
workplace, and co-chaired a Presidential task force to promote business
ownership by women.
When President Clinton took office in 1993, he named Alexis Herman to
a senior White House position as Assistant to the President and
Director of the Office of Public Liaison. In this capacity, she
identified the concerns of individuals and families across the country
on the issues, and communicated the President's priorities to them.
In the many weeks since her nomination to be Secretary of Labor was
announced last December, attempts have been made to generate
controversy about various aspects of her career. However, Ms. Herman
has responded to all the inquiries fully and completely. She received
the unanimous support of the Labor Committee, and I anticipate that she
will receive broad bipartisan support by the full Senate.
All her life, as a young student, as a career woman, as a community
leader and in public service, Alexis Herman has advanced America's
ideals. Hard work, dedication to excellence and commitment to
leadership are the hallmarks of her character. Her entire career is a
profile in courage.
She knows from her own life and firsthand experience the very real
obstacles that too many Americans still face in trying to achieve the
American dream. Most important, she is dedicated to the cause of
improving the lives of all working families. She'll do an outstanding
job as Secretary of Labor, and I look forward to working closely with
her in the years ahead.
Mr. President, how much time do I have?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator has 7 minutes.
Mr. KENNEDY. I yield 4 minutes to the Senator from Illinois, and the
remaining time to the Senator from Minnesota.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair recognizes the Senator from
Illinois.
Ms. MOSELEY-BRAUN. Thank you, very much, Mr. President. I thank the
Senator from Massachusetts, Senator Kennedy, very much, and the Senator
from Vermont, Senator Jeffords, for their efforts in bringing this
nomination to the floor.
Yesterday, I came to the floor and asked that Alexis Herman be freed
and that the Department of Labor be liberated so that they could get on
with the business of the American people, the American working people.
And that is what has happened here.
So we are rejoicing this afternoon that, indeed, this nomination has
reached consensus. There has been closure and agreement by leadership
and by the Members of this Senate to have a vote on Alexis Herman's
confirmation.
I am so very pleased and grateful to the leadership, and, again,
Senator Kennedy and Senator Jeffords for making it so.
Mr. President, I strongly support the confirmation of Alexis Herman
as Secretary of Labor. She has been a friend of mine and I know that
she will be an outstanding Secretary of Labor. Her
[[Page S3839]]
commitment to improving the condition of America's working people is
second to none.
Over the past 4 years, we have witnessed major improvements in our
economy. Now we must continue the work to make our economy and our work
force better than we have ever known. We need someone to help lead us
in that direction. I cannot think of a person who is more skilled and
more knowledgeable and who is better suited for that task than Alexis
Herman.
Alexis Herman has long dedicated her efforts to putting all Americans
to work. Early in her career, Alexis Herman implemented a program that
provided targeted training to potential employees. This program helped
to ensure that potential employees possessed the skills required to
meet employer's needs. Through the work of Alexis Herman, companies
across America had access to employees who had specialized skills, and
workers had access to jobs because they were trained for jobs that
actually existed.
Alexis Herman continued her efforts to expand workplace opportunities
as head of the Women's Bureau of the Department of Labor under
President Carter. At the Women's Bureau, she not only expanded job
opportunities by training women for the work force, including training
in nontraditional jobs, but also expanded job opportunities by training
women to become business owners with a work force of their own.
During her tenure at the Women's Bureau Alexis Herman focused her
efforts on moving women from welfare to work. Especially important and
relevant in light of last year's welfare bill is Alexis Herman's
experience and skills in the area of creating job training and
placement opportunities for welfare recipients and low-skill workers.
If we are going to put over a million people to work in the coming
years, we are going to need Alexis Herman's practical experience.
Alexis Herman's commitment to diversity will make a difference in the
steps our Nation takes to enhance our work force. Any time we retreat
from providing equal opportunities to all of our citizens, we risk
weakening our greatest asset: our workers. With her vast experience in
increasing diversity in the workplace, Alexis Herman will ensure that
no talent goes untapped.
Alexis Herman knows the value of diversity. As public liaison for
President Clinton, Ms. Herman worked with Americans across the
country--Americans with diverse backgrounds and concerns.
During Ms. Herman's testimony before the Labor Committee, she stated
that she had five goals for the Labor Department in the next 4 years:
lifelong learning and skills development; welfare to work; retirement
security; safe and equal opportunity workplaces; and balancing work and
family. These goals reflect her life's work to date. These goals also
describe a course for the future that we can all support. These goals
reflect America's agenda.
Training our work force for the 21st century, providing for a secure
retirement for the Nation's expanding elderly population, and
recognizing the importance of family for America's work force are
clearly national priorities. Alexis Herman understands that to reach
these goals we must work together.
One of her greatest strengths is that she has formed partnerships
with both business and labor in her many years working on employment
issues. She understands the kind of investment that business must make
in human capital in order to improve productivity, increase profits,
and to create jobs. She understands how difficult it is for small
businesses to start up and how important those businesses are to our
economy as a whole. She understands that people want to work but that
they need the opportunity to be trained so that they can become
productive members of the work force. And, finally, Alexis Herman
understands that we are all in this together.
Former Secretary Reich was an advocate for working people, an asset
to the business community and a tireless servant for America's
families. He has my deepest thanks and my highest admiration for the
work he did as Secretary of Labor. But I know that Alexis Herman is
capable and up to the task in front of her, that even though she has
big shoes to fill, I know she is more than capable of meeting the
challenge and finishing the task. There can be no better candidate for
Secretary of Labor than Alexis Herman. Her confirmation, as Senator
Kennedy pointed out, will, indeed, make history. As Secretary of Labor
she will make a difference, however, in the lives of millions of
Americans and workers throughout the world.
I urge my colleagues to confirm Alexis Herman as the next Secretary
of Labor.
I thank the Chair and I yield the floor.
Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I yield 2 minutes to the able majority
whip.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair recognizes the distinguished Senator
from Oklahoma.
Mr. NICKLES. I thank the Chair. I thank my colleague from Vermont for
his leadership and also for having the hearing today that discussed
project labor agreements.
I told my friend from Massachusetts that I did not have a problem
with Alexis Herman being Secretary of Labor as much as I had a real
problem with what I perceive to be legislation by Executive order.
There was proposed to be an Executive order dealing with project
labor agreements that, as it was read by me and many other people,
basically would have excluded nonunion companies from bidding on over
$200 million of work per year. I think that requires legislation, and
if Congress wants to legislate that, certainly Congress has the right
to legislate that. I told the White House my hope and desire would be
that if they want to legislate, to find someone to introduce that
legislation, we would take it up in the legislative process.
So I have had for the past few weeks objected to considering this
nomination, trying to get the White House to back off from that order.
I might inform our colleagues--somebody said, well, what caused this
change of events? The White House has now agreed not to issue the
Executive order, and I appreciate that. They have said that they were
going to issue a memorandum from the President to the executive
agencies, and that is certainly within their right. The memorandum does
not have the force and effect of law.
My purpose was to make sure that the administration did not try to
legislate by Executive order. We now have a letter from Erskine Bowles
that I will just read.
This is to confirm the administration's intention to issue
a Presidential memorandum encouraging executive departments
and agencies to consider utilizing project labor agreements
in Federal Government construction projects. The President
believes that such agreements are desirable in circumstances
where they promote efficient and high quality contract
performance and labor/management stability.
It is also our understanding, as I say, very frankly, they are not
going to do it by Executive order. So that is the reason why I am
withdrawing my objection and have no objection to the Senate voting on
the nomination of Alexis Herman to be the next Labor Secretary.
So I appreciate the cooperation of the White House and think this is
the proper way to proceed. If they wish to legislate on project labor
agreements, certainly they have the right to introduce that legislation
and we will consider it in due process.
Mr. SPECTER addressed the Chair.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time?
Mr. JEFFORDS. I inquire as to the remainder of time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. There are 6\1/2\ minutes on the Republican
side and 3\1/2\ on the Democrat side.
Mr. JEFFORDS. I yield the Senator from Pennsylvania 6 minutes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair recognizes the distinguished Senator
from Pennsylvania.
Mr. SPECTER. I thank my distinguished colleague from Vermont for
yielding me time. I have sought recognition to support the nomination
of Ms. Alexis M. Herman for Secretary of Labor, and I am glad to see we
are finally moving to the confirmation process here because we need a
Secretary of Labor in place to move ahead on the budget process and the
appropriations process.
I serve as chairman of the appropriations subcommittee which has
jurisdiction over the Department of Labor. It has an $11 billion
budget, and obviously
[[Page S3840]]
we have not been able to hear from the Secretary of Labor so far
because we have not had a Secretary of Labor.
When Ms. Herman's status was held up early on, I met with her and had
a long talk with her back in early February. I found that she had a
good academic background and had a good work record. Some questions had
been raised on a number of items, but it was my sense at that time that
she was entitled to a hearing by the Labor Committee.
I am delighted that Senator Jeffords and the committee have held that
hearing and have reported her nomination out favorably so that we are
now in a position to move ahead and to confirm her today. It is my
sense that she will receive an overwhelming vote of support, perhaps
even a unanimous vote. That remains to be seen.
Apparently she will not receive a unanimous vote, from a signal from
the Presiding Officer, and that is within the discretion of every
Senator, to vote as he or she sees fit. I do express a concern about
the nexus or the linkage of Ms. Herman to the Executive order and to
other collateral matters. I have been around here long enough to
understand that that is not an unusual proceeding, but it is my hope
that we can decide these matters on the merits one by one. But whatever
one's position might be in that connection, we at least are reaching
the point where we will have a vote at 5 o'clock today on Alexis Herman
to see whether or not, up or down, she is qualified, in the view of the
Senate, to be the next Secretary of Labor.
I might say that there is considerable concern about the treatment of
Ms. Herman in my home State of Pennsylvania. We had a remarkable event
over last Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, April 27, 28, and 29, in
Philadelphia on the volunteer summit. We had four Presidents--quite an
impressive showing. Somebody in the holding room said, ``Mr.
President'' and everyone turned his head. Some who were not present
turned their head, including Vice President Gore and maybe some others.
But there was another summit, a citizen summit some blocks away in a
square in Philadelphia--Philadelphia is famous for its squares--and a
number of people who appeared at the Presidents' volunteer summit also
appeared at the citizen summit. Mayor Rendell, who presided over the
summit for Philadelphia and did an excellent job, appeared in both
places as did Rev. Jesse Jackson, Congressman Fattah, and I as well.
When I was at the citizen summit there was a lot of concern as to what
was going to happen to Ms. Alexis Herman in the line of fair play,
whether she was going to be treated fairly and appropriately.
So I am glad to see our process has worked. I think Ms. Herman is
qualified to be Secretary of Labor based on her academic record, her
work experience, her general demeanor and general qualifications, and
the appropriate committee has taken up the issues which were raised as
question marks and has answered them to the satisfaction of the
committee. I look forward to voting for her and look forward to her
confirmation, even if it is not unanimous, but I make this prediction,
that it will probably be in the 90's.
I thank the Chair and yield the floor.
Mr. WELLSTONE addressed the Chair.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota.
Mr. WELLSTONE. I thank the Chair.
Mr. President, whatever interpretation Senators want to make about
project labor agreements--I am not here to debate that now--I think
that really what we ought to focus on is the vote we are about to take.
And whatever interpretation Senators want to make about how we reached
agreement, I am not here to debate that.
I thank Senator Jeffords and Senator Kennedy for their fine
leadership. I do know this. Senator Specter I think was quite correct
in his remarks. I think there has been concern around the country about
the treatment of Alexis Herman, making sure there was fair treatment.
Clearly we are going to have a vote, and I think it is going to be an
overwhelmingly positive vote. Above and beyond Ms. Herman, I think the
issue is this position. It has been 6 long months. The Secretary of
Labor position is so important to the lives of so many families all
across the Nation--Minnesota, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Vermont,
and beyond. Bob Reich was a great Secretary of Labor--a great Secretary
of Labor--and I think the reason he became beloved to so many people in
the country was that he was such a forceable and outspoken advocate and
he was talking about living standards for people, about educational
opportunities, about job training, about jobs at decent wages, and
about parents being able to support their children. The Secretary of
Labor is the most important position we have in the Cabinet when it
comes to these critical issues, these bread and butter economic issues,
whether or not we fulfill our national vow of equality of opportunity,
which is all about decent jobs and decent educational opportunities.
I hope that there will be an overwhelming--and I think there will
be--vote in support of Alexis Herman. I think, as Senator Kennedy said,
her own journey is inspiring. I think in many ways for an eloquent
African-American woman to be Secretary of Labor, with all of the skill
she brings to this position and with all the leadership that she can
provide on behalf of working families, it is an inspiring story. I
think this is an enormous victory not just for one person and not just
for people in the African-American community, but really for the
country. So I hope we will have a very strong vote for her.
I thank the chair of our committee, Senator Jeffords, and I thank
Senator Kennedy and thank in advance all the Senators who I think will
vote for her.
I thank the Chair.
Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I am glad we are finally going to
consider President Clinton's nominee for Secretary of Labor, Alexis
Herman. She deserves a swift confirmation by the United States Senate.
Ms. Herman's contributions during her career in public service and in
the private sector are truly impressive and make her uniquely qualified
to serve as Secretary of Labor.
Ms. Herman's commitment to bettering the working and living
conditions of her fellow Americans began early in her life, with the
support and encouragement of her family. Born in segregated Mobile,
Alabama, Ms. Herman grew up in a family dedicated to the struggle for
civil rights. Her father, a mortician, sued the Democratic Party to
make it more inclusive and became one of Alabama's first black party
officials.
After graduating from Louisiana's Xavier University, Herman went back
home to Mobile to help desegregate her Catholic high school. She also
worked in Pascagoula, MS, the hometown of Senator Lott, helping
unskilled workers get jobs in the shipyards.
Ms. Herman came to Washington in 1977 to work in the Labor Department
with Secretary Ray Marshall, where she headed the women's bureau. After
working for Secretary Marshall, Ms. Herman entered the private sector,
forming her own consulting firm to advise businesses on marketing and
minority hiring.
In 1988, Herman joined the Rev. Jesse Jackson's second presidential
campaign, where she met Ron Brown.
With Ron Brown, Ms. Herman worked on President Clinton's 1992
campaign, and was chief executive officer of the Democrats' 1992
convention in New York. After President Clinton was elected in 1992,
she became head of the White House public liaison office.
Alexis Herman combines graciousness with toughness in a way that
allows her to bring diverse groups together and build consensus,
promote understanding, and resolve conflicts. It is no surprise that,
as they have gotten to know her, more and more individuals, and more
and more organizations and institutions, have come to support her
nomination. She has strong support from a broad political spectrum,
including the business, labor, and civil rights communities, all of
whom she has served during her impressive career.
It is a testament to her success in building bridges between
communities, helping working people, and remaining true to her
principles that the people back home have not forgotten her. The
Alabama Legislature passed a resolution urging her confirmation, and
many Alabamians came to Washington for her hearing.
Alexis Herman has demonstrated her abilities to serve as Labor
Secretary
[[Page S3841]]
over the course of her impressive career. I look forward to working
with her upon her confirmation, which, I trust, will be accomplished
today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time?
Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, how much time remains?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont has 1 minute 50
seconds.
Mr. JEFFORDS. Is there any time remaining on the minority side?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator has 52 seconds.
Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I would like to use the last minute to
thank a number of our staff. They have worked exceedingly hard during
the course of this nomination. We are enormously grateful to them: Mark
Childress, Jeff Huang, Brian Lee, Susan Green, Stephanie Williams, and
Nick Littlefield. I know that Senator Jeffords will recognize his own
staff, but we want to thank as well Mark Powden very much, and Scott
Giles. They worked very closely with Todd Stern at the White House, and
all of them deserve great thanks. They were of enormous help and
assistance not only to Alexis Herman but to all the members of the
committee, and we are grateful as always for their skill and their
commitment to this institution.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair recognizes the Senator from Vermont.
Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I first of all want to thank the
majority leader and majority whip for the expeditious way they have
handled the resolution with respect to the Executive order. I know they
dedicated the time necessary to make sure this got done as efficiently
and as effectively as possible so we could move this nomination along.
I also want to thank the members of my committee, especially the
Senator from Massachusetts [Mr. Kennedy] for the way they controlled
themselves and were able to, after a rather extensive amount of time
required to fully review the nominee's record, bring this nomination
before the body today. And of course, as Senator Kennedy mentioned, I
cannot tell anyone how hard the staff worked on this particular
nomination, probably harder than any other nomination at least in my
memory, especially Ted Verheggen and Scott Giles of the majority as
well as the minority staff, especially Mark Childress, whom Senator
Kennedy mentioned. This took undue hours of committee staff time as
well as members to review all of the material that was available.
I am pleased now that we have brought this to a conclusion. I would
point out that the Labor Committee was unanimous in its vote with
respect to nominee, and I urge all Members to support a woman who I
know will bring real credit to the office of the Secretary of Labor.
Mr. President, I yield back the remainder of time and ask for the
yeas and nays on the nomination.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There is a sufficient second.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is, Will the Senate advise and
consent to the nomination of Alexis M. Herman to be Secretary of Labor.
On this question the yeas and nays have been ordered, and the clerk
will call the roll.
The bill clerk called the roll.
Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Hawaii [Mr. Inouye] and
the Senator from New York [Mr. Moynihan] are necessarily absent.
I further announce that, if present and voting, the Senator from New
York [Mr. Moynihan] would vote ``aye''.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber
who desire to vote?
The result was announced, yeas 85, nays 13, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 54 Ex.]
YEAS--85
Abraham
Akaka
Ashcroft
Baucus
Bennett
Biden
Bingaman
Bond
Boxer
Breaux
Brownback
Bryan
Bumpers
Burns
Byrd
Chafee
Cleland
Coats
Cochran
Collins
Conrad
Coverdell
D'Amato
Daschle
DeWine
Dodd
Domenici
Dorgan
Durbin
Enzi
Feingold
Feinstein
Ford
Frist
Glenn
Gorton
Graham
Grams
Grassley
Gregg
Harkin
Hatch
Hollings
Hutchinson
Hutchison
Jeffords
Johnson
Kempthorne
Kennedy
Kerrey
Kerry
Kohl
Kyl
Landrieu
Lautenberg
Leahy
Levin
Lieberman
Lott
Mack
McCain
McConnell
Mikulski
Moseley-Braun
Murkowski
Murray
Nickles
Reed
Reid
Robb
Rockefeller
Roth
Santorum
Sarbanes
Sessions
Shelby
Smith (OR)
Snowe
Specter
Stevens
Thurmond
Torricelli
Warner
Wellstone
Wyden
NAYS--13
Allard
Campbell
Craig
Faircloth
Gramm
Hagel
Helms
Inhofe
Lugar
Roberts
Smith (NH)
Thomas
Thompson
NOT VOTING--2
Inouye
Moynihan
The nomination was confirmed.
Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which
the nomination was confirmed.
Mr. KENNEDY. I move to lay that motion on the table.
The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
Mr. KENNEDY addressed the Chair.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts.
Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I am delighted that this unconscionable
delay has ended and Alexis Herman has, at long last, been confirmed as
Secretary of Labor. It was a mistake for the Republican leadership to
hold her nomination hostage on a separate labor issue.
The compromise on that issue is entirely satisfactory. President
Clinton gave up nothing substantial. Project labor agreements will be
considered and given important new emphasis by all Federal agencies on
appropriate Federal construction projects.
I look forward to working closely with Secretary Herman on the wide
range of issues important to working families and communities across
America.
The big winners today are these working families. Alexis Herman will
do an excellent job speaking for them.
____________________