[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12876]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LEGAL AID SOCIETY--EMPLOYMENT LAW CENTER

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, as the Legal Aid Society--
Employment Law Center, LAS-ELC, celebrates its 100th anniversary, I 
want to congratulate the staff, volunteers, and supporters of this 
extraordinary organization for all they have done for decades to 
support low-income workers in the San Francisco Bay Area.
  Established in 1916 by the State Commission of Immigration and 
Housing, LAS-ELC has a long history of successfully advocating on 
behalf of working families. Beginning with its early efforts to assist 
struggling workers during the Great Depression and WWII veterans as 
they integrated back into life at home, LAS-ELC has provided critical 
support for men and women in need of help. Their groundbreaking work 
includes securing the first-ever Federal grant to provide free legal 
services to indigent criminal defendants, leading the settlement of a 
major class action on behalf of women and minorities who were denied 
jobs and promotions by the San Francisco Fire Department and winning a 
court ruling establishing AIDS and HIV status as a disability protected 
by State and Federal employment laws.
  Over the years, the organization has won hundreds of individual 
rulings and settlements for workers discriminated against on the basis 
of race, gender, ethnicity, disability, or religious beliefs. Today, 
LAS-ELC serves thousands of clients annually, provides free information 
about workers' legal rights, and advocates for policy changes that 
better support workers and help strengthen families and communities.
  A hundred years after its founding, LAS-ELC continues to lead the 
fight against discrimination, harassment, wage theft, and other 
workplace injustices. I am pleased to join in honoring this special 
anniversary and wish LAS-ELC continued success in the years to 
come.

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