Senate Passes Legislation Designating Kate Mullany House as a National Historic Site

WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton welcomed the Senate's passage late yesterday of legislation designating the Kate Mullany House in Troy, New York as a National Historic Site. As First Lady, Senator Clinton visited the site in 1998 as part of the "Save America's Treasures" program.

Senator Clinton's legislation (S. 1241) designates the Kate Mullany House as a National Historic Site and affiliated area of the National Park System. Not only would this legislation honor Kate Mullany's work and life, but it would authorize the National Park Service to provide important planning, interpretive, and preservation assistance. Senator Schumer is a co-sponsor of the legislation. Representative Michael McNulty has introduced a companion bill to S.1241 which is still waiting approval in the House of Representatives.

"This bill is an important tribute to Kate Mullany, and is also an important tribute to New York's rich history of women's and labor rights, and to the many individuals who fought so hard to improve the lives of women and workers across the nation," Senator Clinton said.

"Linking this site with the National Park System will attract New Yorkers and Americans to this wonderful site and showcase all that Troy has to offer," Senator Clinton said. "When the Kate Mullany project is fully completed, the rich and vibrant history of the American labor movement will be displayed in a wonderful location. And when people come to study this movement at the Kate Mullany site, they will know that the voices of the men, and especially the women, who led the American labor movement, have been preserved forever."

"It has been a real pleasure working with all those New Yorkers who want to highlight Kate Mullany's life. Paul Cole of the New York State AFL-CIO, and his board of labor, community and women leaders have put in a lot of work on this issue for several years. I believe that it will be a tremendous addition for Troy, helping to revitalize an historic neighborhood and bring attention and resources to the city," Senator Clinton said.

"Honoring the Kate Mullany site not only sends a message about the importance of labor and the women's movement in our country's history, but could be a real shot in the arm for tourism in Troy and the rest of the Capital Region," said Senator Schumer.

Congressman Michael R. McNulty (D-Green Island), original sponsor of the Mullany legislation in the House, said, "I am thrilled that the Senate unanimously passed the Mullany National Historic Site Act. With passage of the Clinton bill in the Senate, and action taken on my bill this week by the House Resources Committee, the prospects for adding the Mullany House as a unit of the National Park Service are better than ever.

After nearly a decade of work on this project, I will redouble my efforts to pass the bill in the House and earn long overdue national recognition for the amazing life and accomplishments of an icon of the Capital Region's rich heritage and history."

McNulty added, "I am so grateful to Senator Clinton for her hard work on this legislation, which really began during her 1998 visit to Troy as First Lady to designate the Mullany House as a National Historic Landmark. Senator Clinton continues to be a tireless supporter of working families in the Capital Region, across New York State, and throughout America."

The news today was also welcomed by Mayor Harry Tutunjian and the American Labor Studies Center.

"The Senate passage of a bill to designate the Kate Mullany House in Troy as a National Historic Site is clear recognition of the significance of the role that Kate Mullany and the members of the Troy Collar Laundry Workers Union played in improving the lives of women workers and early efforts to create a union as an effective voice for all workers. It is a tribute to Senator Clinton who has championed this initiative from the beginning," said Paul F. Cole, Executive Director of the Center and Secretary-Treasurer of the New York State AFL-CIO.

"The City of Troy has a longstanding and extensive labor history, and this news today will go a long way in preserving the Kate Mullany legacy in the Collar City. I would like to thank Senator Clinton for all of her hard work in seeing this effort through to this point,"said Mayor Harry Tutunjian.

In June 2003, Senator Clinton introduced legislation to establish the Kate Mullany House in Troy as a National Historic Site. In October 2003, Senator Clinton testified before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in support of her legislation.

The Kate Mullany House is located at 350 8th Street in Troy. The House has been designated a National Historic Landmark. When Kate Mullany arrived in the United States, she went to work washing, starching, and ironing clothes at the nation's first commercial laundry in Troy. For Kate Mullany and the other workers, they were required to work 14 hours a day for only $2 a week under harsh conditions. In February of 1864, Kate Mullany and 200 of her fellow female laborers organized the first women's labor union in the U.S., the "Collar Laundry Union. "Together, they were a formidable force and, after striking for a week, they were able to secure a $.25 wage increase. The Collar Laundry Union continued as an influential force in the Troy collar and cuff industry for five years beyond its formation, which was very unusual for women's labor organizations at the time.

The New York State AFL-CIO, working in conjunction with the not-for-profit American Labor Studies Center, purchased the House. They plan to create a national Center of American Labor Studies at the Kate Mullany House, which they envision as both a significant repository and research site that will document the history of the American labor movement. This Center is envisioned to have a profound impact upon the revitalization of the Troy neighborhood, which includes the Kate Mullany House.

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