On this Pride Month, we stand in solidarity with our LGBTQ+ brothers, sisters and siblings. The labor movement is about empowering all working people, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender. All workers should have the right to exist without fear of discrimination, harassment or violence. No one should ever feel the need to hide their true, authentic self at work.
However, LGBTQ+ people still lack basic federal legal protections in the workplace, which make them vulnerable to recent appalling and shameful actions by state legislatures. We have no tolerance for hate in our movement.
LGBTQ+ workers face retaliation and fear getting fired for standing with their co-workers. It’s hard for workers to see the very same corporations that celebrate pride turn around and hire anti-union-busting consultants and deny their workers the promise of a union contract.
The best tool we have to prevent discrimination in the workplace is a union contract. Union contracts are legally enforceable in every state. They protect LGBTQ+ workers from harassment, and can mean real progress for workers and our families to gain health care, savings, a future, and so much more. Check out some model contract language from the AFL-CIO constituency group, Pride at Work.