120,000 more New Yorkers for GENDA

Candace Lider, Troy Area Labor Council Secretary, speaks in support of GENDA at the CDALF annual convention

Last weekend at the Capitol District Area Labor Federation’s annual convention, delegates voted resoundingly to pass a resolution in support of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA).

GENDA would add gender identity and expression to the list of protected classes in the state’s civil rights law, and would therefore make it illegal to fire someone from their job, kick them out of their home or deny them service in a restaurant (among other things) simply because they are transgender.

The Capitol District Area Labor Federation (CDALF) encompasses five counties in the Albany area and represents 120,000 people working in blue collar and white collar professions, including teachers, civil service employees, bricklayers, firefighters, nurses and plumbers, just to name a few.

Union support for this bill is significant—during the build-up to the Assembly vote on marriage equality last year, unions across New York State representing more than 1 million people passed resolutions detailing their support for the bill. When massive labor federations and big unions like 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East or UNITE HERE actively support our issues, Albany takes notice.

CDALF’s 120,000 members brings the total organized labor support for GENDA to 440,000 working New Yorkers. Stronger together, indeed!

A labor of love

The current issue of The Advocate features an article called "A Labor of Love," which discusses the contribution that organized labor is making to the movement for LGBT equality. The Pride Agenda's "Pride in Our Union" program was referenced as a model for national organizations looking to organize support within politically powerful unions.

In the article, the Task Force's Thalia Zepatos said that Pride in Our Union is an "out front model" and adds that "what ESPA has done is really comprehensive, and other states are looking to them as a template." Not to toot our own horn, but the initiative is quite fabulous. There are currently just under 1 million working New Yorkers who are represented by unions that support marriage equality. Additionally, 300,000 New Yorkers are represented by unions who support transgender non-discrimination legislation--and that number gets bigger and bigger every month.

Pride in Our Union was launched last November, and to cap off an amazingly successful year, the Pride Agenda will be honoring one of New York's most influential labor leaders with the Douglas W. Jones Community Service Award at this year's Fall Dinner. Randi Weingarten, President of United Federation of Teachers, has been instrumental in helping to get some of the other major unions on board with LGBT issues. Union support was one of the key factors in getting the Assembly to vote on and pass the marriage bill on June 19.

You can read the complete article here.
You can find out more about Pride in Our Union here.

Pride in Our Union

We posted yesterday on DC37's support of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) and the marriage equality bill. We ran this full-page ad today in The Chief (a highly regarded newspaper for civil employees), noting the bredth of union support for LGBT issues:

(click on image to view larger version)

Almost 1,000,000 New Yorkers are represented by unions listed on this page. To borrow a oft-used labor phrase: stronger together.

DC37 supports marriage equality, GENDA

DC37, New York's largest municipal employee union, last week passed resolutions that express the organization's support for the marriage equality bill and the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA).

This adds about 120,000 more members to the overall number of New Yorkers represented by unions in support of marriage equality, making the total somewhere close to 970,000. (read the marriage resolution here)

Unions supporting GENDA (so far) represent approx. 320,00 New Yorkers.

Unions to Assembly: pass marriage bill

One of the more influential voices in Albany is that of organized labor. Organizations such as 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) United Healthcare Workers East and New York State Teachers United (NYSUT) carry much clout when they put their weight behind or against a piece of legislation in either chamber of the New York State Legislature. One need only look to the rough battle between newly elected Governor Eliot Spitzer and 1199SEIU over hospital cutbacks the recent budget process to see how well organized and funded organized labor is in New York.

That's why today's announcement that unions, labor federations and labor leaders representing more than 850,000 New Yorkers--and including 1199SEIU and NYSUT--are backing the marriage bill is so significant.

Packets of information were sent to all members of the Assembly yesterday with a cover letter from NYSUT EVP Alan Lubin (who also spoke at the noontime rally during E&J Day). In the letter, Lubin wrote:

"As unions, we have a particular responsibility to protect equal rights and promote economic justice in connection with collective bargaining, economic benefits, and legislation that affects our members. I am urging you to continue to do to do the right thing as co-sponsor and vote yes on the Marriage Equality bill"

He goes on to say:

"As you make your decision, I want you to consider my full and unwavering support for this bill. I stand in solidarity with the supportive union leaders, local unions, and area labor federations on the attached list."

The unions/labor federations on the "attached list" are:

1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
New York State Teachers United
SEIU Local 32BJ
Retail, Wholesale, Department Stores Union/United Food and Commercial Workers (RWDSU/UFCW)
United Federation of Teachers
United Auto Workers (UAW) Region 9A New York Metro Community Action Program Council
Capital District Area Labor Federation
Rochester & Genesee Valley Labor Federation
Central New York Area Labor Federation

Prominent labor leaders in New York who have previously stated their support for marriage equality include 1199SEIU Past President Dennis Rivera, UFT President Randi Weingarten and UNITE HERE! President Bruce Raynor.

Read more about labor support of marriage here and here.
Read the marriage resolution that many of these unions have passed here.