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AMSTERDAM, NY—Congressman Paul D. Tonko announced today that he has introduced a resolution in the House commemorating the life and legacy of Capital Region labor pioneer Kate Mullany. Mullany established the first all-female union in the United States—the Collar Laundry Union—and rose to prominence as a leader in America’s labor movement.

“Our Capital Region has long been a wellspring of pioneering women who have blazed trails for equality and shaped our nation and world for the better,” Congressman Tonko said. “In that impressive pantheon, Kate Mullany stands out among the brightest lights as a tenacious leader and role model who championed the cause of economic and social justice for America’s working women and all of our working class families. Her creation and unyielding leadership of the Collar Laundry Union in Troy, New York helped secure fairer wages and safer working conditions for countless women. We are all the beneficiaries of her bravery and advocacy and we owe it to her, and ourselves, to honor her legacy, tell her story and lift up her cause each and every day as we carry on her fight.”

Congressman Tonko has long fought to ensure women’s rights are upheld and protected under the law. Earlier this month, Tonko joined his colleagues in the House of Representatives to pass the bipartisan Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization, legislation that builds on the 1994 Violence Against Women Act that has stood as a pillar upholding our essential mission to protect all Americans against domestic violence and sexual assault. Tonko also voted this month to advance a joint resolution to remove an arbitrary time limit previously set by Congress for the states to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), a proposed amendment to the Constitution that guarantees equal rights for women. 

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