Pride at Work Organizing for LGBT Union Workers in Vermont

By Bennett Law

     Except in Harvey Milk’s San Francisco, where unions backed gay civil rights initiatives because gay bars boycotted the anti-union Coors brewery, unions aren’t usually thought of as a strong glbtq ally. But Pride at Work plans to change all that. And this summer it’s kicking off a campaign to establish a Vermont chapter, one of ten now forming nationwide, adding to the 16 chapters already in existence. The local group needs five AFL-CIO-affiliated union members to form a chapter.
      Pride at Work (PAW) has been a “constituency group” of the AFL-CIO (meaning it has voting rights) for the past 5 years. It is committed to two goals: educating the LGBT community about the benefits of union membership for LGBT workers while building support and solidarity for the Union movement in the LGBT community; and educating local unions about LGBT workers’ issues. Its purpose is to mobilize mutual support between the organized Labor Movement and the LGBT Community around organizing for social and economic justice.
      According to the Pride at Work web site, “We work towards creating a Labor Movement that cherishes diversity, encourages openness, and ensures safety & dignity. We intend to do this in the spirit of the union movement’s historic motto, ‘An Injury to One is An Injury to All.’ We oppose all forms of discrimination on the job and in our unions based on sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, religion or political views.”
      Tom Belville, sole staff member of the Vermont State Labor Council/AFL-CIO, said he had heard about the group’s plans to organize in Vermont, but had no further information. Asked whether he thought some unions would accept a gay and lesbian organizing initiative, Belville admitted some likely would not.
      “We had quite a debate over civil unions two years ago,” Belville said, “that ended up in a 50-50 split. There were vehement opinions on both sides. We needed a supermajority to take any kind of action, and we didn’t get it, so the resolution [to support civil unions] just lay there.”
      Asked why, in Vermont, where civil unions and lesbian and gay civil rights are law and equal treatment is spreading, there would be a need for an LGBT organizing initiative, Belville said he was unaware of any specific problems around gay issues within the union structure. But, he said, “There can be plenty of laws on the books to prevent discrimination, but if you, the worker, are unaware of them or don’t know where to turn for help, then the laws may not do much good. We have to educate people in order to protect the laws.”
      Tenaya Lafore, of the Vermont Workers Center agreed, “People still get discriminated against and harassed at work. One woman in Rutland was fired for wearing a tee shirt that said ‘Chick Magnet.’ LGBT workers might be accused of sexually harassing others or be isolated and harassed themselves. Pride at Work is trying to build bridges of support between these two communities.”
      The two unions with the largest Vermont presence are the National Education Association (NEA) and the Vermont State Employees Association (VSEA) with roughly 7,000 and 5,000 Vermont members, respectively. Other unions with significant Vermont populations include the Teamsters, the Independent Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, American Federation of State and Municipal Employees, and the American Federation of Teachers.
      Current PAW chapters include urban centers such as Boston, Miami, Seattle, and Los Angeles, as well as smaller chapters in New England in Connecticut and Rhode Island. A chapter is also forming in New Hampshire. Each PAW chapter is required to include representation from three AFL-CIO affiliated unions as a condition for chapter certification.
      Nationally, Pride at Work has organized opposition to anti-gay resolutions at corporate annual meetings, such as AT&T’s and ExxonMobil’s efforts to delete specific gender and orientation protections and domestic partner benefits from their policies.
      Hans Johnson, Co-Vice President of the Baltimore-DC Chapter, will facilitate the organization drive here in Vermont. On June 12th Johnson met with staff and volunteers of the Vermont Workers Center in Montpelier to plan a kick-off meeting for this organization drive.
      With their parallel histories of commitment to social and economic justice, Johnson sees an affiliation of the union movement with LGBT workers as a natural fit. While he noted that Pride at Work is dedicated to making unions “more responsive, supportive, and respectful to LGBT members,” non-union “members at large” are welcome and encouraged to participate in local PAW chapters, too.
      The organizational meeting for the Vermont Chapter of Pride at Work will be held Tuesday, July 30th at 6:30 at the Vermont Workers Center at 38 State Street in Montpelier. Tom Barbera, Regional Vice President for PAW from Boston, will join Johnson in introducing Pride at Work to Vermonters. All are welcome to attend. More information is available from Tenaya Lafore at tenayapapaya@hotmail.com, or at 223-5057. You can check out the Pride at Work website at www.prideatwork.org.