Eleanor Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority Urges Fast-Track Confirmation for ALEXIS HERMAN

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Feminist Majority President Eleanor Smeal together with other national women's leaders launched a campaign for the confirmation of Alexis Herman, nominee for U.S. Secretary of Labor.

"Although Senator Jeffords (R-Vermont) has made public his intention to schedule the hearing, we urge him do so quickly and cast aside any more lingering political hoops. Thus far in the nominating process Herman has faced the 'trial of a thousand leaks.' The Herman appointment must not be held hostage to current investigations of White House political fund-raising. We believe it is all the more disturbing that the only African-American woman nominated to the Cabinet has been held up in an unprecedented process," stated Smeal.

Smeal continued, "As a leader in the women's rights movement for over twenty years, I know that Alexis Herman has spent her lifetime fighting to open the doors of opportunity for women and people of color in both the private and public sectors. Herman has developed a strong, positive relationship with the civil rights and women's rights communities, eaming respect from both workers and employers. She is uniquely qualified having spent a lifetime in promoting the interests of working women and men."

"Moreover, Herman is a superb administrator who has demonstrated her capabilities as director of the Women's Bureau, co-chair of a Presidential Task Force to promote business ownership for women under President Carter, and head of the Minority Women Employment Program. She has had a lifetime of preparation for the position of Secretary of Labor. We know Alexis Herman's nomination will be upheld once the hearing process ends and her nomination moves to the floor," concluded Smeal.

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