State Senator Olga A. Mendez has been appointed chair of the Senate Labor Committee following the resignation of Senator Guy Velella last month. State AFL-CIO President Denis M. Hughes hailed Mendez, a Republican who represents the Bronx and a part of upper Manhattan, as a strong advocate for social justice.

“Her background and experience in dealing with the intricacies of the legislative process,” Hughes said, “as well as her track record in fighting for the cause of working men and women, makes Senator Mendez the perfect choice to lead the Senate Labor Committee.”

Hughes also praised Velella as “an ardent supporter and advocate for working men and women.” While serving in the Assembly, Velella led the fight to protect public employee benefits funds from outside interference. He continued to champion the cause of labor when he became a Senator.

He led the way for permanent pension COLA supplementation for public employees and, according to Hughes, he “personally saved our Taft/Hartley funds from becoming enmeshed in the Blue Cross debacle of the early 1990s.”

In addition, Velella sponsored many pieces of legislation for Local 237 members and shepherded childcare funding to union parents.