Tribute to Matt Keyes (Cong. Rec., April 12, 2021)
Summary
A page of the Congressional Record, Senate, dated April 12, 2021, at page S1871, with a speech by a Senator from Ohio and a tribute. The Senator criticizes Amazon's campaign against workers organizing a union, saying the company harassed employees with anti-union propaganda, and argues for the PRO Act, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, as an overhaul of labor laws to level the playing field. The Senator then pays tribute to Matt Keyes, who has worked in the office for 7 years, saying he understands Ohio's reporters and communities.
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“Tribute to Matt Keyes (Cong. Rec., April 12, 2021).”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2021-04-12-crec-2021-04-12-pt1-pgs1871-c1fd47e3fb/
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April 12, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1871
Let’s be clear: This was never a fair If they care to use that influence, serving the State that he and I both
fight. and so often they do, here is what he love.
Amazon is perhaps the world’s most said: Matt has been with our office for 7
powerful corporation. It would not be They can threaten. They can give a raise. years, working with Ohio reporters to
raking in profits without the hard They can demote. They can grant favors.
inform the public, traveling the State
work and dedication of its hundreds— Or they cannot grant favors. with me to hear from Ohioans.
hundreds of thousands of American Every worker knows that.
workers. Yet Amazon unleashed all We have been to diners and drive-
that corporate power to fight those This is what workers organizing are throughs. We have done press con-
same workers. up against. There is nothing close, ferences in front of small businesses
They harassed employees with anti- nothing at all resembling a level play- and schools and bridges. Before the
union propaganda. They sent mis- ing field for American workers. pandemic, we spent hours in crowded
leading text messages, websites, and That is why we need the PRO Act, union halls.
fliers. Workers reported they didn’t Protecting the Right to Organize Act.
It is a comprehensive overhaul of our Matt has earned the respect of so
even get enough time for bathroom
labor laws to protect workers’ right to many Ohio reporters. He understands
breaks in the warehouse. That is how
stand together and to bargain for fair how important their work is to Ohio
intense the company’s pressure is. And
wages and better benefits and safer communities. He understands reporters
yet, when they are able to use the
bathroom during this union fight, even workplaces. and their contribution to democracy,
there workers are hit with anti-union It would level the playing field and something we wouldn’t even have had
propaganda fliers on the stall doors. finally, finally give workers a fighting to have bothered saying 5 years ago.
Amazon demanded the U.S. Postal chance against corporate union-busting He knows every news source in Ohio.
Service install a mailbox onsite at the tactics like we saw from Amazon. He has built relations with the prin-
warehouse so they could monitor em- We know what has happened in this cipled, dedicated journalists who run
ployees mailing their union election country. We know we have seen—we them.
ballots. It is all part of a pattern for have seen worker productivity go up.
He has a deep understanding of our
Amazon. We have seen corporate profits go up.
State. Matt knows Ohio as well as any-
In 2019, Amazon fired a Staten Island We have seen executive compensation
skyrocket upward. Yet worker wages one. He went to college here. He stayed
warehouse worker who called for
are flat. in Ohio. He dedicates his life to making
unionization.
Amazon monitors employees’ online Passing the PRO Act would strength- our State a place where other young
communications. Last fall we learned en the punishment against companies people will want to stay too.
the company planned to spend hun- that violate workers’ rights to organize Some of the most memorable events
dreds of thousands of dollars for new and that retaliate against union orga- Matt and I have been to together have
software to monitor ‘‘threats’’ like nizers. been rallies and meetings with workers
unions. Amazon isn’t alone. This union It would close loopholes that allow and retirees around my State, fighting
busting is standard operating proce- employers to misclassify their employ- to save their pensions.
dure for most companies. ees as supervisors and independent con- It is fitting that Matt ends his time
A growing number of Americans tractors to avoid paying their fair in our office with a huge victory for
want to join unions. A recent poll share and to avoid giving workers the Ohio workers—literally, tens and tens
found that about half of Americans benefits they have earned and that and tens of thousands of Ohio families
would like to join a union if they they deserve. benefiting from the work we all did to-
could. Millennials are the most pro- A union card is a ticket to a middle- gether as activists, that Matt did, that
worker, pro-union generation since class life when you fight for economic
World War II. The Center for Economic my staff did, the rest of my staff that
justice by making it available for all
Policy and Research reported that 75 we did together in the American Res-
workers. We just need corporations to
percent of new union members are cue Plan to save the pensions that
get out of the way, to be neutral, to let
under the age of 35. Ohioans earned over a lifetime of work.
workers organize and take control over
I talked to one of those union work- their careers and their futures. Matt got to know these leaders and
ers at the end of last month. I spoke to We also need to empower all workers, these activists over the years, people
Kate from Zanesville, OH, who joined whether they have chosen to join a like Rita Lewis and Mike Walden and
UFCW—United Food and Commercial union or not. Dana Vargo.
Workers—not too long ago. We talked That means paid family and medical He didn’t just listen to their stories
about the work she and I and others did leave for all workers. It means a living about what it would mean to their fam-
to save her future pension in the rescue wage for all workers. It means retire- ilies to lose their retirement security;
plan, how her union had helped her ment security for all workers. It means he lifted up their voices. That is what
learn about retirement security and power over your life and your schedule. somebody like Matt—that is what Matt
helped her fight for her retirement se- It means overtime pay when you earn Keyes does. That is what good journal-
curity. it. It means healthcare for all workers.
So if all those workers, especially ists do. That is what good communica-
It is, all in the end, about the dignity tions people do. They listen to their
young workers, want to join a union, if of work.
they want to have a voice on the job, stories about what this situation
Remember what Dr. King said; that means to their families. Then they lift
they want to have more control over ‘‘no labor is really menial unless you
their work lives, why aren’t more up their voices; they share those sto-
are not getting adequate wages.’’ ries with the media and with the coun-
union drives successful? When you love this country, you
Pretty important question to ask, try. It is how we got Congress to listen.
fight for the people who make it work. It is how we finally got that done. That
pretty obvious answer—because cor- That is what union organizers do in the
porations have so much power. is the lesson of Matt Keyes for young
face of overwhelming corporate opposi- reporters, for young journalists, for
One union organizer told a reporter tion, like the billionaires at Amazon,
for the Huffington Post: young communications directors, for
and it is what all of us must continue
When people hear there’s an election, they young people who want to make a liv-
to do until all work pays off.
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
think everybody gets to vote, there’s a se- ing doing this.
cret ballot, and so on. What they don’t un- TRIBUTE TO MATT KEYES
derstand— Mr. President, I would like to honor I will miss Matt on the road in Ohio.
a longtime member of my Ohio staff, I know he will continue to serve our
What the public doesn’t understand
Matt Keyes. Matt’s last day in our of- State. I know he will continue to fight
about union elections—
fice is tomorrow before he moves on to for the dignity of work in everything
is that the company has access to the work-
a new opportunity—still in Ohio, still that he does.
ers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and has
enormous influence over their lives. serving the people of my State, still Matt, we will miss you.
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S1872 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE April 12, 2021
LEGISLATIVE SESSION REMEMBERING BRIGID her adventurous spirit and valued hear-
MCDONOUGH ing her opinions on everything from
--- Minnesota politics to Bruce
Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President,
MORNING BUSINESS Springsteen. Friends considered her a
today I rise in remembrance of my dear
Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I ask friend Brigid McDonough. Many years font of wisdom and ideas, and she al-
unanimous consent that the Senate ago, she agreed to be the treasurer of ways shared recommendations on
proceed to legislative session for a pe- my Senate campaign and stayed in books, movies, and music, with warmth
riod of morning business, with Sen- that volunteer job for over a decade. and affection.
ators permitted to speak therein for up That was a courageous thing to do in There are certain people who have a
to 10 minutes each. this political climate. But that was the way of seeing and bringing out the very
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without kind of friend Brigid was: loyal and al- best in others. Brigid was one of those
objection, it is so ordered. ways there. She wanted to serve the people.
f people. Let’s remember Brigid’s fierce love of
She loved her family. She loved her life. That is what made the time we
TRIBUTE TO OFFICERS JACOB
husband, Reid. I know how hard it was spent with her so special. Her friend-
CARLSON AND RANDI GARRETT
for Reid and Brigid at the end, and the ship and her commitment to making a
Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I rise last few years the two of them had to- difference in the world are true gifts
today to honor the service and bravery gether were so precious. Brigid loved that will continue to benefit all of us
of Officer Jacob Carlson and Officer her extended family of course. I will al- who were lucky enough to know her.
Randi Garrett of the Casper Police De- ways remember being at the Lumber-
partment. jack Days Parade in Stillwater, and
On May 6, 2018, Jake and Randi re- f
Brigid would run up and give me a big
sponded to a call of children driving a hug—and her sister would run up and
car around a dirt lot in Casper near give me a big hug and then some other TRIBUTE TO BARBARA ROGERS
Fairdale Avenue. When Officer Garrett McDonough would. Her affection was Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, I
arrived on scene, she found a 3-year-old contagious. rise today to recognize my constituent
driving the vehicle with an adult and Since her admission to the Minnesota and extraordinary Federal employee,
another child in the vehicle. The adult bar in 1984, her life and career were Ms. Barbara Rogers of Chevy Chase,
was uncooperative in providing identi- rooted in how she could best lift others MD, who is retiring from Federal serv-
fication and attempted to flee after Of- up. She believed that government and ice.
ficer Carlson arrived on the scene. the law can be used to help people For nearly 20 years, Barbara has
While Jake attempted to stop the as- achieve equity and social justice in a worked for the U.S. Centers for Disease
sailant from fleeing, he was shot mul- world where playing fields are not Control and Prevention’s, CDC, Wash-
tiple times with a concealed weapon. often level. She used her impressive ington office, advising Agency leader-
Despite being shot with heavy blood legal acumen to achieve good things on ship on critical policy issues, including
loss, Officer Carlson returned fire, and behalf of many people in our State. environmental health and public
both officers found cover behind the Brigid recognized the power of polit-
health preparedness. A graduate of the
car. Officer Carlson’s firearm was hit ical and community organizing, of get-
George Washington University Law
by gunfire. His actions allowed Officer ting involved. She was inspired by the
School, Barbara prosecuted environ-
Garrett to find cover and eventually DFL tradition and the honest convic-
mental enforcement cases at the U.S.
expose herself to fire a single shot, ren- tion to fight for what is just. If you
Attorney’s Office and served for 8 years
dering the assailant no longer a threat. asked me what politician she was most
as counsel to committees of both the
Jake and Randi’s actions were selfless inspired by, I would have to say Sen-
U.S. Senate and the House of Rep-
and ultimately saved the lives of two ator Paul Wellstone. He was her hero.
resentatives. She brought this invalu-
young children. Campaigning for Paul is how I first
When officers in our community put able experience to the Agency for
met Brigid; She was a true believer,
on their uniforms, they know that at Toxic Substances and Disease Registry,
happily working at a law firm by day,
any time during their shift, they could ATSDR, a Federal public health Agen-
and spending her free time out there
walk into harm’s way. Without hesi- cy that protects communities from the
holding up those green signs for Paul.
tation, they still put on their uniform harmful health effects related to expo-
Providing affordable housing to un-
every day. This speaks louder than sure to natural and manmade haz-
derserved communities was a major
words can describe. It speaks to their ardous substances. When ATSDR
goal for Brigid, and she approached her
bravery, professionalism, and commit- joined CDC’s Washington office in 2002,
volunteer work with the same focus
ment to the people of Wyoming. Barbara took on CDC’s environmental
she had at the law firm. Whether she
In 2008, Congress passed the Law En- portfolio in Washington, DC, and
was representing immigrant and ref-
forcement Congressional Badge of helped shape CDC’s rapidly growing
ugee families through her pro bono
Bravery Act, CBOB, establishing an preparedness work in the era following
work, supporting her alma mater and
honor for exceptional acts of bravery in the attacks of September 11.
community by serving on the
the line of duty by Federal, State, Macalester College alumni board and Barbara has served as a CDC liaison
local, and Tribal law enforcement offi- the Hmong Partnership board, or to Congress, educating policymakers
cers. chairing the St. Paul DFL—that alone and staff to better understand the
On April 24, 2021, the Wyoming con- is a career unto itself—Brigid always Agency on a variety of important mat-
gressional delegation will present Offi- brought this earnest conviction to ters, including in response to congres-
cers Carlson and Garrett the Congres- fight for what was good, often on be- sional oversight on CDC’s laboratories
sional Badge of Bravery for their he- half of people who couldn’t always do it and, more recently, on COVID–19. Bar-
roic actions. It will be a high honor to for themselves. bara’s widely sought sage advice and
participate in this ceremony. Brigid did so much through the valu- diplomatic skills, combined with a
I want to thank Officers Carlson and able guidance she offered to dozens of powerful intellect and attention to de-
Garrett for their exceptional valor on local, State, and national political tail, have been a critical asset to CDC
this tragic day. The example and pro- campaigns. She was especially dedi- in the Agency’s interactions with GAO
fessionalism they have set will shape and Congress.
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
cated to electing women and people of
future generations of police officers color to public office, and she was real- With Barbara’s retirement, her CDC
throughout Wyoming and across our ly good at it. colleagues will miss her warm friend-
great country. Brigid was kind and generous, loyal ship and wonderful sense of humor.
All of Wyoming and the law enforce- to friends and colleagues, and compas- CDC will lose a public servant with a
ment community are so thankful for sionate, smart, and really funny. She moral and ethical grounding, who has
Officer Carlson’s recovery and Officer’s and Reid loved traveling and both were been a fierce advocate for CDC and pub-
Garrett’s resolve. voracious readers. I always admired lic health.
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