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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E824-E825]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING MARGARET ``PEG'' SEMINARIO
______
HON. ROBERT C. ``BOBBY'' SCOTT
of virginia
in the house of representatives
Monday, June 24, 2019
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the
achievements of Margaret ``Peg'' Seminario, who has made the health and
safety of American workers her life's work and is retiring after 42
years of tireless advocacy. Through her more than four decades of work
at the AFL-CIO, Peg has been instrumental in securing the health and
lives of millions of workers.
Peg began her work at the AFL-CIO in 1977 during the early years of
the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). She worked
with many of the authors of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of
1970 to develop the policies, win the court decisions, and build the
infrastructure that have helped millions of American workers realize
their right to safe workplaces.
She worked closely with the labor leaders who fought to pass the
Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Federal Mine Safety and
Health Act--George Taylor, Tony Mazzocchi, Jack Sheehan and many
others.
She played a major role in assembling the evidence, preparing
comments, testifying at hearings, and assisting allies in passing
almost every OSHA safety and health standard over the past 42 years
including: silica, beryllium, asbestos, lead, noise, ergonomics,
machine guarding, methylene chloride, lockout-tagout, and workers'
Right-to-Know. These standards prevented countless injuries, deaths and
occupational diseases.
She led the effort to protect working people from occupational
exposure to anthrax, bird flu, SARS, workplace violence, and
tuberculosis.
She led the fight to win passage of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and
Compensation Act that provided health care and compensation for the
first responders who got sick after they responded to the terrorist
attacks on September 11, 2001.
Peg served on numerous National Academy of Sciences and federal
advisory committees, providing her expertise on a wide range of
workplace safety and health issues, including the extent and nature of
work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths occurring in the United
States.
Peg was also one of the first professional women to work at the AFL-
CIO, blazing the path for those who followed, and she served as a
mentor for generations of women labor leaders.
She advised those inside and outside the labor movement on practical
strategies to move forward on seemingly insoluble issues. As she kept
workers' goals in mind, her feet were always planted in practical
politics. She approached the toughest political challenges by asking a
simple, familiar question: ``What makes sense?''
[[Page E825]]
Working with the business community and other traditional foes of
labor were part of her strategic arsenal when that approach ``made
sense'' to accomplish the goals of working people.
With an advanced degree in industrial hygiene from the Harvard School
of Public Health, she served as a trusted advisor to almost every
Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA--Democrat and Republican--over
the last 40 years.
Finally, she understood the role that worker empowerment and labor
unions play in ensuring the safety of working women and men.
``Let's call Peg'' was the first thing out of the mouth of
generations of members of Congress and congressional staff. She
testified before numerous congressional committees and provided
valuable information and advice to lawmakers on every budget, every
piece of legislation designed to strengthen worker protections, and
every response to legislative efforts to weaken or dismantle OSHA, the
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) or the National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
Madam Speaker, there are men and women across the county who are
alive today because of her work. They may not know who she is. She will
not receive their gratitude. But they owe their health, their limbs and
their lives to the work she has done over 42 year long career. I thank
Peg for all that she has done for America's workers.
____________________