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“HONORING MS. AI-JEN POO” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1491 on Sept. 19, 2014.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING MS. AI-JEN POO
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HON. KEITH ELLISON
of minnesota
in the house of representatives
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Ai-jen Poo to congratulate her on the 2014 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. MacArthur
``Genius'' Fellows show extraordinary dedication and originality in their field, as well as exceptional promise for continuing their creative pursuits in the future. Ms. Poo demonstrated these qualities through her successful organization of domestic workers on a national and international level. She has created better working conditions for women who are often exploited, by establishing fair labor standards which were originally nonexistent.
Ms. Poo started organizing immigrant women workers in 1996. In 2000, she co-founded Domestic Workers United, the organization that has successfully advocated for passage of the state of New York's Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights in 2010. Currently, Ms. Poo is the Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), which arose from the first national domestic workers convention in 2007 that she helped plan. NDWA is a leading organization in building fair labor standards for the 2.5 million domestic workers in the U.S. Recently, Poo was instrumental in the Department of Labor's decision to include caregivers for the elderly and disabled in federal minimum wage and overtime protections.
Ms. Poo is also Co-Director of Caring Across Generations, a campaign that brings together caregivers and the employers into an alliance that supports immigration reform, health care, and labor policies. This confluence of interest results in better labor conditions, and greater quality care for America's aging population.
Aside from being a 2014 MacArthur Foundation fellow, Ms. Poo was previously recognized with numerous other accolades including the World Economic Forum Young Global Leader award in 2013, and the Ms. Foundation Woman of Vision Award. In 2012, she was named one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World.
Ms. Poo has exhibited outstanding devotion to a cause that continues to improve countless lives. I appreciate all that she has done to serve our nation, and I congratulate her for her achievement. She is more than deserving of this honor.
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