This resolution commemorates the life of labor pioneer Kate Mullany, who fought for safe working conditions and reasonable wages.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 282 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 282
Commemorating the life and legacy of labor pioneer Kate Mullany in
honor of Women's History Month.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 26, 2021
Mr. Tonko (for himself, Mr. Morelle, and Miss Rice of New York)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Education and Labor
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Commemorating the life and legacy of labor pioneer Kate Mullany in
honor of Women's History Month.
Whereas, in 1838, Kate Mullany was born in England to Dominic and Bridgit Byrne
Mullany of Roscommon of Ireland;
Whereas, on July 24, 1850, Mullany emigrated to New York City with her siblings
Mary, Kate, and Bridgit, and arrived in Troy, New York, around 1853;
Whereas the city of Troy, New York, played a significant role in the development
of the detachable collar industry, where women made up 85 percent of the
workforce and worked up to 14-hour days for as little as $3 per week;
Whereas women who worked in the detachable collar industry were subjected to
significant health and safety hazards, including widespread exposure to
caustic chemicals, hot water, and bleach, and demands for rapid work
added to the incidence of severe burns and other dangers;
Whereas Dominic Mullany died in 1864 prompting Kate to step up as a family
breadwinner at 26 years of age, gaining employment at one of the 14
laundries in Troy, New York;
Whereas, in February 1864, Kate Mullany formed and led the Collar Laundry Union
of Troy, the first bona fide all-female union in the United States, to
press for higher wages and safer work conditions after employers had
repeatedly ignored collar laundresses' demands for fair pay;
Whereas, on February 23, 1864, Kate Mullany led 300 women on strike for 5 and a
half days as part of the newly established union;
Whereas the Collar Laundry Union of Troy successfully gained a 25-percent wage
increase and improved working conditions with support from the Troy Iron
Molders Union No. 2 and the community at large, legitimizing and
elevating itself as a prominent organization in Troy's growing labor
movement;
Whereas Kate Mullany again led the Collar Laundry Union of Troy in a second
strike in 1866, successfully raising workers' wages from $8 to $14 a
week, and a third strike in 1869, maintaining higher wages for union
members than the lower wages that most working women earned, and
securing benefits that would be available to members even during illness
and family death;
Whereas, in 1868, Kate Mullany traveled to New York City to attend the National
Labor Union meeting alongside only 3 other women delegates: Mary Kellogg
Putnam, Susan B. Anthony, and Mary A. MacDonald;
Whereas Kate Mullany was appointed Assistant Secretary by the National Labor
Union President William Sylvis on the last day of the conference, the
first time in United States history that a woman served as a national
labor union officer;
Whereas, despite dissolving the Collar Laundry Union of Troy in 1870, a union
that had lasted more than twice as long as any other women's union at
the time, Kate Mullany continued to be a leading part of a network of
labor activists and helped author the resolution of the Working Women's
State Labor Union of New York in support of cooperatives;
Whereas a local newspaper claimed there were not enough women in New York to be
labor organizers, and Kate Mullany responded confidently: ``You show me
the women and I'll turn them into organizers.'';
Whereas Kate Mullany was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in
Seneca Falls, New York, in 2000 where it is noted: ``As a labor leader
and organizer, Mullany is one of early American labor history's most
important women'', and into the Labor's International Hall of Fame in
Detroit, Michigan, in 2018;
Whereas the enduring legacy of Kate Mullany is as a legendary champion in the
struggle for economic and social justice for America's working class,
and a role model for subsequent generations of working women; and
Whereas the Kate Mullany House at 350 Eighth Street in Troy, New York, was
designated a National Historic Landmark by the Secretary of the Interior
in 1998 and a National Historic Site by an Act of Congress in 2004, and
is owned and being restored by the American Labor Studies Center: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives
that--
(1) the life of Kate Mullany attests to the experience of
working women in 19th century America and their struggle to
obtain safe working conditions, reasonable wages, and respect
from the entire American labor movement;
(2) Kate Mullany demonstrated the indomitable will of
working women everywhere who continue to fight for equal pay
and equal opportunity in workplaces through union organizing
and collective bargaining; and
(3) Kate Mullany reflected the best American tradition of
using her intellect and courage to overcome outdated barriers
tied to gender, live and work with dignity, and have the
confidence to pursue her dreams both in her careers and with
her loved ones.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
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