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Floor Speech

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Mr. BROWN. Madam President, I rise today to honor Ann Miller, a champion of labor, as she retires this month. Today happens to be-- probably not entirely coincidentally--her birthday.

Ann has spent her entire career fighting for the dignity of work. She started off in this body working for Senator Edward Kennedy, a champion of workers and a friend and a mentor of mine.

I know Senator Murray, who is in front of me here, served on his committee for many, many years, and, as he did, she later chaired it.

It is clear Ann cares too. From the beginning of her career, Ann saw how important it is for representatives to understand labor and to stand up for workers.

After her time in the Senate, Ann moved to the Department of Labor, where she could continue her work. During a very intense time there at DOL, while family and medical leave was being implemented and increased minimum wage was secured, Ann was instrumental in that.

After 4 years, Ann moved to the AFL-CIO and then the Alliance for Retired Americans. In every role and every job, the focus of her work was always fighting for workers.

She returned to the AFL-CIO in 2003, where she would spend the next 10 years. She pushed people running for office around the country to put workers at the center. She knew that was morally right. She also knew it was good politics to put workers at the center of what we do and how we campaign and how we carry out our jobs, from having a pro- labor platform to smaller suggestions like hosting events at union hotels. I know that the Presiding Officer from Minnesota does things like that. After election day, Ann held candidates to their promises. She kept them accountable to the interests of workers. Her colleagues called her the soul of the labor program.

It is clear Ann still understood the importance of having pro-labor and pro-worker representatives. She saw it when she started out in the Senate. She carried it through her whole career. It led Ann to the AFL- CIO and then ultimately to the IBEW, the electrical workers, where she has been an integral part of the legislative and political department for the past 10 years. She worked with an experienced staff of grassroots organizers and analysts and advocates. They have fought for the interests of IBEW's 820,000 members and retirees across different industries and fields. Ann had always been impressed by the IBEW members she met through her career and their willingness to stand up and be heard. It is fitting that the final chapter of her work life was spent fighting for them.

We have heard from those who worked alongside Ann. A highlight of her career was becoming a member of IBEW Local 121. With her union card, Ann joined the hundreds of thousands of workers across our country whom she has spent her career fighting for.

Today, as we see renewed energy and momentum in the labor movement, it is in part because of Ann and her work. Those who know Ann recognize her fearlessness and her tenacity. It is because of Ann, for instance-- and I know that Senator Smith and Senator Murray joined us in this-- that we were able, with the CHIPS Act, to get a project labor agreement that means at least 7,000 union workers building that gargantuan plant, union workers across the board--electricians and carpenters and bricklayers and laborers and operating engineers and even roofers and carpenters and many others. When things get tough, Ann fights even harder for workers. She has instilled that same strength and determination in her staff.

She has emphasized the importance of building genuine relationships, whether it is with representatives or candidates or colleagues.

She cares for the people she worked alongside, never really looking for praise or accolades, just wanting to help.

She has been a mentor to many women in labor, particularly the building trades. The IBEW attracts more people of color and more women. Ann has been at the forefront, and she has been able to mentor so many of those women. She has fought to make it easier for women in the labor movement to rise through the ranks, easier than it was for her do that.

We wish Ann well in this next chapter, filled with more time with her family, with Andy, and all. We thank her for an impressive career spent standing up for the dignity of work.

We recommit in this body to our own fight to ensure hard work pays off for everyone. You love this country; you fight for the people who make it work. She understands that.

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