Kate Mullany (1845–1906) was an early female labor leader who started the all-women Collar Laundry Union in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany ...

in February 1864. It was one of the first women's unions that lasted longer than the resolution of a specific issue.Kate Mullany biography at the National Park Service government web site
Accessed February 4, 2008.National Women's Hall of Fame official web site
Accessed February 4, 2008.

Biography

Kate Mullany was an Irish immigrant born in 1845, and she moved to the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

at a very young age. With her co-workers Esther Keegan and Sarah McQuillan, she organized approximately 300 women into the first sustained female union in the country, the

Collar Laundry Union The Collar Laundry Union was the first all-female labor union in the United States. It was started in Troy, New York by Kate Mullany in 1864. At the time, being a laundress was a difficult job. An almost exclusively female occupation, laun ...

, in 1864. Mullany went on to be its president and was elected second vice-president of the

National Labor Union The National Labor Union (NLU) is the first national labor federation in the United States. Founded in 1866 and dissolved in 1873, it paved the way for other organizations, such as the Knights of Labor and the AFL ( American Federation of Labor ...

. At the age of 19, when her father died, Mullany had to work 12–14 hours a day for $3 a week. She led a successful six-day strike in 1864 with over 300 other women to increase wages and improve working conditions. The strike led to a 25-percent increase in wages.Wiawaka Women's Camp web site
. Accessed February 4, 2008.Kate Mullany House organization official web site
Accessed February 4, 2008/ The

saw what Mullany was doing and they appointed her to be assistant secretary of the National Labor Union, a union of which she would later be elected the Vice President. In 1869 she married John Fogarty and her obituary was listed under her married name. Around that time, Mullany also failed at trying to create new laundry and collar-making cooperatives. She died in 1906 and was buried in the Fogarty family plot in St. Peter's Cemetery, Troy, New York.Kate Mullany House organization official web site Grave web page
. Accessed February 4, 2008/ The Kate Mullany House, at 350 8th Street in Troy, was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1998, and and became a National Historic Site in 2008. In 2000, Mullany was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. She has been honored by the New York State Senate,NY Senate Women's Heritage Month web site
. Accessed February 4, 2008. and her home is on the Women's Heritage Trail.Women's Heritage Trail official web site
Accessed February 2, 2020.

References

External links

The Kate Mullany story at the Public Employees Federation web site

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Biography

See also

References

External links

Further reading