Obama to nominate Tom Perez as labor secretary

US President Barack Obama will announce Monday the nomination of Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez, a Hispanic American, as the next US secretary of labor, a White House official said. Perez will replace Hilda Solis, who resigned the Labor Department's top position in January. He will have to be confirmed by the US Senate before taking office. Prior to his work at the Justice Department, Perez served as the Secretary of Maryland's Department of Labor, where he focused on protecting consumer and worker rights. A son of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, he worked his way through law school and became the first lawyer in his family. "Tom is a dedicated public servant who has spent his career fighting to keep the American dream within reach for hardworking middle class families and those striving to get into the middle class," said the White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.