In all the uproar about AIG bonuses in the recent news, it was easy to miss the official swearing in of Hilda Solis, our new Secretary of Labor. 

The secretary was sworn in by swearer-inner-in-chief, Vice President Joe Biden. In this otherwise ceremonial occasion, there was a glimmer of substance for those of us who care deeply about worker abuse and exploitation in the garment industry, here and abroad.

Take a minute to read the transcript and see if you can pick out what was notable about the VP's remarks.

The big news? Vice President Biden actually used the term "sweatshop." It was a somewhat passing reference to Hilda Solis's background as a champion for worker rights, but it did not go unnoticed here. While EFCA has been officially introduced -- and the president looks to be gearing up to fight on its behalf -- the U.S. garment industry is notoriously difficult to unionize and is unlikely to be considered "low-hanging fruit" for the union movement. 

When and if EFCA passes, does the administration intend to let union organizers wage war against sweatshops alone, or will Obama/Biden work to give Ms. Solis the tools and the cover to enforce wage, hour and safety violations that are still commonplace in this country? 

At this point it is anybody's guess, although I am inclined to believe that the president's agenda will not always be geared toward the middle class, but also toward the expansion of the middle class.

However, at the moment, the administration has its hands full, so we look for small hints of an impending full-scale war on sweatshops. I couldn't find the word anywhere on whitehouse.gov, but it was nice to hear it spoken by the Vice President.