Robert Asaro-Angelo named regional representative of US Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced the appointment of Robert Asaro-Angelo as her representative in the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Asaro-Angelo will be based in New York City.

"I am delighted to welcome Robert to the Labor Department team," said Secretary Solis. "His years of public service experience reflect his ability to work cooperatively and effectively with labor, business and government, and his commitment to educating workers about their rights. His knowledge and skills will be valuable in our efforts on behalf of America's working people."

Within the U.S. Department of Labor, secretary's representatives, also known as "sec reps," serve as liaisons to state and local government officials and community stakeholders, and are responsible for amplifying key programs and initiatives of the department.

Before joining the Department of Labor, Asaro-Angelo served as the executive director of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee. Prior to that, he was employed by the Mason Tenders District Council of the Laborers International Union of North America in New York City and Long Island, N.Y., and worked as a political action representative for the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees and a political and community organizer for Service Employees International Union Local 1115 in New Jersey.

Asaro-Angelo received a bachelor of arts degree in broadcasting and film from Boston University and worked for ESPN and NBC Sports before obtaining a master of science degree in public policy from the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University.

The Department of Labor fosters and promotes the welfare of the job seekers, wage earners and retirees of the United States by improving their working conditions, advancing their opportunities for profitable employment, protecting their retirement and health care benefits, helping employers find workers, strengthening free collective bargaining, and tracking changes in employment, prices and other national economic measurements. In carrying out this mission, the department administers a variety of federal labor laws including those that guarantee workers' rights to safe and healthful working conditions; a minimum hourly wage and overtime pay; freedom from employment discrimination; unemployment insurance; and other income support.