2012

WHEREAS, airline workers have long been at the forefront of bringing full equality to the workplace for LGBT workers;

WHEREAS, while many airlines have been praised by the LGBT community for recognizing and providing equality for their employees – those rights, benefits and recognition have only come after long struggles and success was only often achieved through the collective bargaining process;

WHEREAS, until federal laws are dramatically changed the only equal rights many LGBT Americans have that are legally enforceable are through a collective bargaining agreement;

WHEREAS, many airlines have become major financial contributors to LGBT organizations, among them American Airlines;

WHEREAS, approximately 10,000 American Airlines passenger service agents have been recently struggling to organize and join the Communications Workers of America (CWA);

WHEREAS, American Airlines management has launched an unprecedented effort to prevent those passenger service agents from simply exercising their right to vote on whether or not to join a union;

WHEREAS, American Airlines management has been rebuked by the Department of Justice, the National Mediation Board, Senate Democratic leadership and over 150 Congressmembers for their union busting behavior and by denying their employees the right to have a vote on their future;

WHEREAS, American Airlines management is engaged in this effort in order to use the bankruptcy process they are engaged in to force draconian working conditions, wage rates and benefit cuts on the workers while they do not have legal representation through a union; and,

WHEREAS, by engaging in this behavior American Airlines management is preventing the LGBT employees among those approximately 10,000 passenger service agents their opportunity for full legal equality and benefits for their families.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride at Work calls on American Airlines management to drop their current federal lawsuit and to let the workers have their legal right to vote on legal representation for their future move forward;

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Pride at Work calls on American Airlines to stop calling themselves as supporters of pro-LGBT equality and marketing as such to the LGBT community as long as they continue to engage in these union busting tactics and silencing workers fundamental rights to hold a vote on their future;

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Pride at Work calls on all LGBT organizations involved in the fight for full equality, and who receive financial support from American Airlines, join us in calling on American Airlines management to stop denying their employees their fundamental and legal right to vote on union representation and to publically refuse contributions from American Airlines until they allow this legal election to move forward; and,

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Pride at Work and its members will stand with American Airlines passenger service agents in their struggle and work at their side to gain legal representation and full equality through a legally enforceable collective bargaining agreement.

WHEREAS, the CDC estimates that at the end of 2008, an estimated 1,178,350 persons aged 13 and older were
living with HIV infection in the United States. Of those, 20% had undiagnosed HIV infections I;

WHEREAS, young people aged 13–29 accounted for 39% of all new HIV infections in 2009. Among young black men who have sex with men, new HIV infections increased 48% from 2006 through 2009ii ;

WHEREAS, while a cure is yet unknown, no one should suffer or die from a preventable disease; WHEREAS, people living with HIV and AIDS are living longer, healthier lives than ever before;

WHEREAS, unemployment, underemployment and low-wage/no benefit jobs are a detriment to all of our communities – and correlate with survival rates;

WHEREAS, the labor movement and working people of this country know too well the struggles faced by the long-term unemployed seeking to re-enter the workforce, and live productive lives supporting themselves and their families with respect and dignity;

WHEREAS, strong union contracts are a vital protection for LGBT+ people to combat employment discrimination and ensure good jobs with fair pay and benefits;

WHEREAS, the labor movement has a proud history of fighting for quality, affordable health care; for safe and respectful work environments, for the civil and human rights of all people, and recognizing that across the full diversity of our nation, work connects us all;

WHEREAS, the International Labour Organization (ILO) adopted Resolution #200, Recommendation concerning HIV and AIDS and the World of Work, 2010, stating,
“AIDS is a workplace issue because it has a marked impact on workers, their families and dependents, enterprises and national economies. Discrimination and stigmatization against both women and men living with HIV threaten fundamental principles and rights at work, and undermine efforts to provide prevention, treatment, care and support.
“The Recommendation marks a new milestone in the international response to the pandemic, calling for the World of Work to play a significant role in preventing HIV transmission, protecting human rights at work and mitigating the impact of the pandemic at work, on local communities and the national economies”;

WHEREAS, the UNAIDS strategy has three objectives for 2011-2015: “Zero New HIV Infections. Zero Discrimination. Zero AIDS Related Deaths”;

WHEREAS, the new National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the US charts three primary goals:

1. to reduce new HIV injections

2. to improve access to health care, and

3. to eliminate health disparities;

WHEREAS, in September 2011, the Pride @ Work National Executive Board re-affirmed out commitment to work on HIV/AIDS, including promoting “Know Your Status” efforts;

WHEREAS, Pride @ Work has endorsed the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) “Call to Action: Lessen HIV Burden Among Young Gay and Bisexual Men”iii, which includes the following charge:

• GAY COMMUNITY LEADERS to elevate HIV as a priority for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities, recognizing the heavy impact of HIV on young gay and bisexual men, particularly young men of color, as an important equity issue in the LGBT community. As at the beginning of the epidemic, the LGBT community must engage in thoughtful dialogue about why HIV remains such a dominant challenge, and foster the community cohesion that gives young gay and bisexual men the support needed to overcome stigma and homophobia and to adopt healthy behaviors, irrespective of HIV status.

• COMMUNITY LEADERS to respond to HIV with equanimity across the community, fighting with equal passion for young gay and bisexual men, heterosexual men and women, and children. Your leadership is essential. We ask you to follow President Obama’s example and embrace young gay and bisexual men as family and community members who need to know that they are not forgotten, and that their lives matter; and,

WHEREAS, the LGBT nonprofits and the labor movement will be even stronger and our work more whole when we have better representation of youth, people of color, people living with HIV/AIDS, LGBT people and particularly transgender individuals in our staff and leadership.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we call on the members of Pride @ Work and all of the LGBT community and Labor Movement to:

• Recommit to the fight to end HIV/AIDS and to support people living with HIV/AIDS

• Make HIV/AIDS education, testing and prevention a top priority to achieve both U.S. and international goals

• Work in partnership with HIV/AIDS organizations in our shared struggle for good jobs, working to break the cycle of poverty, marginalization and inadequate access to quality health care

• Promote and educate amongst our members and partner organizations the resources within the HIV/AIDS community and public agencies providing vocational training, job skill training and other employment resources devoted to helping our members and allies to allow those who are able to to get back to work in good jobs

• Further educate union members, leaders and LGBT partners on best employment practices treatment of workers living with HIV/AIDS that is supportive, fair and without stigma

• Educate our members and allies on the issues of LGBT and HIV/AIDS criminalization within the US and abroad that create barriers to quality care, create stigma, and dehumanize lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers.

• Develop intentional strategies for outreach and leadership training of those who are HIV+ as well as young black men, transgender women, and all communities at heightened HIV risk for inclusion in movement diversity work; in P@W leadership trainings; and any other movement trainings to support inclusion of representative leadership in the staff and elected offices of our organizations .

i CDC. HIV Surveillance — United States, 1981–2008. MMWR 2011 60(21); 689-693.
ii http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/youth/
iii http://nmac.org/travel/1346-call-to-action-lessen-hiv-burden-among-young-gay-and-bisexual-men.html

WHEREAS, Hyatt has singled itself out as the worst employer in the hotel industry;

WHEREAS, Hyatt has abused its housekeepers and other hotel workers, replacing longtime employees with minimum wage temporary workers and imposing dangerous workloads on those who remain;

WHEREAS, Hyatt workers have taken bold steps to end mistreatment, speaking publicly about abuses, going on strike, and even launching a global boycott of Hyatt;

WHEREAS, Hyatt has spent millions marketing themselves as friendly to the LGBTQ community;WHEREAS, LGBTQ travelers spend $65 million in US tourism alone each year; and,

WHEREAS, Pride at Work members across the United States have mobilized LGBTQ support for Hyatt workers in their struggle.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride at Work endorses the global boycott of Hyatt* and will continue toboldly expose Hyatt’s hypocrisy to the LGBTQ community until workers win the dignity and respect they deserve.

* The call to “Boycott Hyatt” does not include the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa and the Grand Hyatt Kauai, which have current collective bargaining agreements with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, and does not include the following Hyatt hotels with current UNITE HERE collective bargaining agreements: Grand Hyatt New York, Andaz 5th Avenue, Andaz Wall Street, Hyatt Hotel (Highway One Monterey), Hyatt Regency Monterey, Hyatt Penn’s Landing (Philadelphia), Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Hyatt Regency Dearborn (Michigan), Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center, Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina, Hyatt Regency on King (Toronto), Park Hyatt Toronto, Hyatt Regency Vancouver, Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill, Hyatt Rosemont, Hyatt Place San Jose, Hyatt Place Braintree (MA), Hyatt Carmel Highlands Inn, and Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport

WHEREAS, the members and allies of Pride @ Work share a common bond with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers around the world;

WHEREAS, corporations and anti-union campaigns often operate on a global not simply U.S.-based strategy;

WHEREAS, many of the international unions of Pride @ Work are engaged in global struggles, acting in solidarity across the globe under labor’s motto, “An Injury to One is an Injury to All”;

WHEREAS, unions and labor federations across the globe are engaging in the struggle for LGBT workers’ right to live with safety, dignity, respect and social and economic equality and justice;

WHEREAS, in addition to standing in solidarity with our sisters and brothers around the globe, we have much we can and must learn about both their struggles and their strategies for success;

WHEREAS, the Canadian Labour Congress has engaged the Canadian labor movement in education, discussion and action on best practices for representing transgender workers;

WHEREAS, Since the 2009 coup that overthrew the democratically elected president of Honduras Manuel Zeleya, hundreds of LGBT and labor activists have been murdered;

WHEREAS, Colombia is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for labor organizers with 218 unionists murdered over the last five years with dozens more attempted murders and thousands of death threats;

WHEREAS, Coca-Cola workers in Columbia and around the world are among the most terrorized, with nine union leaders murdered in Columbia (most recently in January, 2012) and two leaders, William Mendoza and Juan Carlos Galvis, face imprisonment under bogus charges of planting a bomb in a Coke factory in 1998, based on the testimony of a death squad leader who bragged about committing 45 murders, and imprisonment could mean that they would be murdered in jail;

WHEREAS, www.99wallstreet.com reports that hundreds of workers from GM’s Colmotores plant in Colombia have been fired after suffering serious injuries on the job without compensation, without healthcare and without pensions;

WHEREAS, despite the grave risks, 68 of those workers joined together to form ASOTRECOL (the Association of Injured Workers and Ex-Workers of General Motors Colombia);

WHEREAS, the UAW has met with fired Colombian GM workers who are facing struggles so grave, they launched a hunger strike, sewing their mouths shut in effort to bring their grave conditions to the world’s attention;

WHEREAS, although India is often the country most associated with foreign call centers, there has been a trend in recent years for American companies to open call centers in other often countries such as the Philippines, China, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Mexico, and the Czech Republic;

WHEREAS, 20,000 telecom workers in Mexico City at Telefonica/Atento who tried to vote for real union representation were threatened and intimidated, offered bribes and kept from voting by company fraud;

WHEREAS, despite the neutrality agreement the company had signed, Telefonica/Atento ran a brutal campaign of threats, firings, outrageous lies and bribes, and denied the opportunity to vote to scores of workers while allowing ineligible workers to cast ballots;

WHEREAS, consenting sex by same-sex adult couples remains punishable by imprisonment or death in Uganda, Ghana (men), Zambia, Western Sahara, Belize, Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Trindad and Tobago, and elsewhere; [Countries in the world where consenting sex with same-sex adults is criminalized: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Comoros, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, São Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Gaza (Occupied Palestinian Territory), India*, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq*, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi-Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (unrecognised state), Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Cook Islands (New Zealand associate), Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Tuvalu. * legal status is not cleari]

WHEREAS, these campaigns are sometimes funded by anti-LGBT organizations in the U S;

WHEREAS, despite tremendous progress on LGBT equality in the U.S., www.americanprogress.org reports that “Gay, transgender, and gender nonconforming youth are significantly over-represented in the [U.S.] juvenile justice system—approximately 300,000 gay and transgender youth are arrested and/or detained each year, of which more than 60 percent are black or Latino. Though gay and transgender youth represent just 5 percent to 7 percent of the nation’s overall youth population, they compose 13 percent to 15 percent of those currently in the juvenile justice system”;

WHEREAS, Pride @ Work leaders have begun discussion with the Solidarity Center regarding LGBT / labor solidarity work in Mexico, other parts of Central and South America, the U.K., countries in Africa and other parts of the world;

WHEREAS, in 2012 the Solidarity Center and AFL-CIO hosted an international forum on HIV/AIDS and the world of work, convening labor, business and community leaders;

WHEREAS, Pride @ Work leadership have begun discussion with Mexican LGBT leaders including:

• Mr. Manuel AMADOR VELAZQUEZ, Political Action Coordinator, Gay Men’s Forum, a community-based organization

• Dr. Hector Miguel CORRAL ESTRADA , Chair, Youth Coalition for Sexual Health and Education (COJESS), Mexico City

• Ms. Ana Elizabeth DE ALEJANDRO GARCIA, Bilingual Agent for Teleperformance, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon

• Mr. Ivan Enrique GOMEZ TAGLE DURAND, Coordinator of GRUPO JOVEN LGBT Mexico (Young LGBT Leaders

• Mr. Gabriel GUTIERREZ GARCIA, Host, Local Radio Program, “Codigo Diverso in Codigo D.F.,” Mexico City’s Culture Secretariat

• Ms. Josefina Lizeth MARTINEZ TORRES, Legal Coordinator, Center for the Migrant Human Rights, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua

• Mr. Rodrigo RINCON JIMENEZ, Director of Cohesion de Diversidades para la Sustentabilidad, AC (CODISE), Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua;

WHEREAS, the U.N. Secretary General stated, “As men and women of conscience, we reject discrimination in general, and in particular discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. When individuals are attacked, abused or imprisoned because of their sexual orientation, we must speak out. We cannot stand by, silent. This all the more true in cases of violence. These are not merely assaults on individuals. They are attacks on all of us”;

WHEREAS, at the UN Human Rights Council which was meeting in Geneva, Switzerland the American Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton declared: “gay rights are human rights and human rights are gay rights”; and,

WHEREAS, President Barack Obama had instructed every member of his cabinet and every department of the Federal Government to protect LGBT people from discrimination. The directive to all government agencies orders them to:

• Combat the criminalization of LGBT status or conduct abroad

• Protect vulnerable LGBT refugees and asylum seekers

• Leverage foreign assistance to protect human rights and advance nondiscrimination

• Ensure swift and meaningful U.S. responses to human rights abuses of LGBT persons abroad

• Engage international organizations in the fight against LGBT discrimination

• Report on progress.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work re-affirms our commitment to LGBT equality and social and economic justice for all workers as an international commitment that is directly connected to our struggles within the U.S.;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work commits to increase education and dialogue amongst our members and leaders on issues of international solidarity on LGBT equality and workers’ rights;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work re-affirms our commitment that we will not be silent in the face of injustice, whether in the U.S. or abroad;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work endorses the September 17, 2012 International Day of Solidarity with Association of Injured Workers and Ex-Workers of General Motors Colombia (ASOTRECOL),

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work urges union members and LGBT activists to participate in the annual rally and vigil to close the School of the Americas November 17-18 in Fort Benning, GA.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work commits to develop a strategic plan for engaging our members and leaders that connects with our LGBT and labor community priority international struggles, and prioritizes opportunites for greatest need and effect within the limited resources of our nonprofit;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work shall seek resources and in-kind support to effective pursuit of this solidarity work, building coalition and collaboration with partners doing similar work in other countries;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work shall seek to establish ongoing relationships with labor organizations and trade unions in other countries, and specifically with LGBT groups within them, to work to promote common goals on the rights of LGBT working people; and,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work stands for the universal right of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and all workers across the globe to live whole and open lives and work with safety, dignity, respect, equality and economic justice.

WHEREAS, workers at T-Mobile have been struggling to have union representation for many years in the face of aggressive management intimidation;

WHEREAS, T-Mobile has been brought before the National Labor Relations Board on several occasions and been formally reprimanded for their disregard for labor laws in their heavy handed efforts to prevent workers from having a voice on the job;

WHEREAS, T-Mobile call center managers have gone so far as to write down the license plate numbers of employee cars leaving the employee parking lot who have been witnessed taking flyers from union organizers and been subjected to work performance evaluations the next day;

WHEREAS, T-Mobile technicians based in Connecticut, Long Island and Upstate New York seeking to vote on unionization have had their jobs and benefits threatened, been verbally assaulted by managers and further have been forced to sit through anti-union lectures on company time. Managers have also tried to force highly-paid T- Mobile engineers into proposed bargaining units in an attempt to dilute the vote of lowered paid workers;

WHEREAS, T-Mobile managers have also told workers they themselves could be fired if there is a positive vote for union representation, as well as telling them anyone not wanting to be in a union would be fired if there were a positive vote for representation. One manager is quoted in the complaint as telling workers; “If the union gets in, I will have to fire anyone who does not want to work in a union. I will have to walk them out the door the same day the union gets in here.” U.S. law clearly states union representation is the choice of the individual worker;

WHEREAS, T-Mobile USA management, supported by the German parent company, have engaged specialized anti-union lawyers to block employees’ attempts to get representation from the Communication Workers of America. The website of one of the firms openly advertises “union avoidance” as one of its specialties, listing T- Mobile as a “client it represents on a regular basis;

WHEREAS, T-Mobile is owned by German company Deutsche Telekom which has a different standard for German workers, allowing them to freely join a union while allowing its US subsidiary to routinely flaunt US labor laws;

WHEREAS, with the failed merger of AT&T and T-Mobile, which would have allowed for union representation through majority sign-up, T-Mobile workers that are union supporters are being forced deep into the closet out of fear for their jobs are facing at the same time T-Mobile management’s decision to close 7 US based call centers and shipping their work overseas;

WHEREAS, in an effort to market itself to the LGBT community, T-Mobile recently made a financial contribution to the ballot initiative fight in Washington which would protect marriage equality;

WHEREAS, until numerous federal laws are changed and enacted, collective bargaining agreements are the only legally enforceable vehicle for LGBT workers to win vital benefits such as employment nondiscrimination and fully inclusive health benefits that let them support their families with dignity and respect; and,

WHEREAS, Pride at Work has long condemned employers that claim to support LGBT equality while aggressively forcing union supporting employees into the closet out of fear of losing their jobs.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride at Work calls on Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile to stop their double standard on workers’ rights to organize here in the U.S. in contrast with workers in other parts of the globe;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that T-Mobile cannot practice a double standard in regards to its’ LGBT employees equality and Pride at Work calls on them to stop the marketing campaign to the LGBT community while simultaneously engaging in tactics that prevent their LGBT employees from having the opportunity to gain legal recognition of their dignity, their families and their rights through a collective bargaining agreement;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride at Work calls on the rest of the LGBT community as well as national and state organizations committed to full LGBT equality to stand with those T-Mobile employees and to join Pride at Work in telling T-Mobile management that the employees want and deserve justice, not marketing; and,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride at Work encourages its members and local chapters to provide support and encouragement to the T-Mobile employees in their difficult struggle against a determined union busting and equality denying management team.

PROVIDING PROVISIONAL STATUS ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS TO DREAM ACT-ELIGIBLE YOUNG PEOPLE

WHEREAS, 65,000 undocumented students graduate from high school each year, but live in constant fear of deportation;

WHEREAS, many undocumented youth also identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender who struggle with their multiple identities;

WHEREAS, undocumented youth describe their experiences having to “come out” twice as an important reason to work at the intersections of many communities;

WHEREAS, despite their talent and potential to contribute to the nation and to its economy, they face bleak prospects in both employment and education because without legal status, they cannot drive or work legally and are forced to take dead-end jobs and cannot qualify for most college scholarships and loans since only a few states offer in-state tuition for these students;

WHEREAS, the Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act would provide a path to citizenship to high school graduates by allowing them to become permanent residents if they came to the United States as children (under the age of 16), are long-term United States residents (five years or more), have good moral character and attend an institution of higher learning or enlist in the military for at least two years;

WHEREAS, the DREAM Act was first introduced in Congress more than 10 years ago, but attempts to pass it have failed repeatedly;

WHEREAS, the Supreme Court, in Heckler v. Chaney, held that “an agency’s decision not to prosecute or enforce, whether through civil or criminal process, is a decision generally committed to an agency’s absolute discretion”;

WHEREAS, the President has repeatedly announced that interior enforcement prioritizes prosecuting and removing noncitizens who have committed serious crimes, and the Executive Branch, through the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), can decide not to prosecute a case, granting ”deferred action” to removable persons; and,

WHEREAS, the Department of Homeland Security, therefore, has the administrative authority to undertake an initiative to provide provisional status on a case-by-case basis to young people who would be eligible under the DREAM Act.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that since Congress has yet to pass the DREAM Act, Pride @ Work supports the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to establish a program allowing DREAM Act eligible youth to apply for provisional status on a case-by-case basis, thus allowing immigrant youth to pursue their dreams while contributing their considerable talents to the country they love and consider home; and

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Pride @ Work will continue to engage our members and allies in the struggle to pass the DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform that respects the rights of all workers and is inclusive of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers and their families.

WHEREAS, the struggles for social and economic justice are intertwined;

WHEREAS, the labor movement has a long and proud history of standing up for the civil and human rights of all people;

WHEREAS, labor leaders across the country from a vast diversity of unions have shown strong and public support for the Employment NonDiscrimination Act (ENDA), marriage equality and other issues vital to the LGBTQ community;

WHEREAS, no one should have to choose between a good job and true equality;

WHEREAS, workers’ rights are under attack at unprecedented levels, in the U.S. and abroad;

WHEREAS, workers across the country are standing in greater solidarity than ever for good jobs and the right to live and work with dignity and respect;

WHEREAS, across our communities and our struggles, work connects us all;

WHEREAS, buying union is a statement of true solidarity, supporting the labor of our sisters and brothers in the movement; and

WHEREAS, supporting & promoting companies that are good on both equality and workers’ rights serves to level the playing field for good corporate citizens.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride at Work will continue to speak out and educate members of our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community on the vital importance of the union difference for LGBTQ workers;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride at Work will work with our community and labor partners to raise the voices of and tell the stories of LGBTQ workers struggles and successes;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride at Work will prioritize educating members of our community about union products, shops and services;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride at Work will provide training and technical support to allied LGBTQ community organizations on negotiating model event contracts; and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride at Work will educate our members and allies about choosing union hotels, union printers, union-made vehicles, union airlines and other travel, union performers and union wireless services, union grocery stores and other consumable goods and services.

WHEREAS, the labor movement has a tremendous history of organizing for social and economic justice for all workers in the spirit of our historic motto, “an injury to one is an injury to all”;

WHEREAS, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers are a vital part of the labor movement;

WHEREAS, the labor movement stands in strong solidarity with LGBT workers on issues including transgender- inclusive Employment NonDiscrimination Act (ENDA) and marriage equality;

WHEREAS, Pride @ Work and the LGBT Labor Leadership Initiative provide LGBT-Inclusive Contracts trainings to provide union leaders and members with information and tools regarding the needs of LGBT workers, sample contract language and shared strategies for winning inclusive benefits;

WHEREAS, because of the lack of legal protections, in the absence of a union contract, LGBT workers may be legally fired in a majority of states on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity;

WHEREAS, there are 1,138 rights and responsibilities conferred through the word “marriage” in federal law, denied to same-sex couples because of DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act);

WHEREAS, same-sex couples pay more in federal taxes for health insurance, because DOMA causes health coverage for a partner to be treated as extra income;

WHEREAS, without specific protections in a union contract, same-sex couples do not have the right to access FMLA to care for an ill partner, because DOMA prohibits recognition of their relationship;

WHEREAS, same-sex couples may not have assurance that a spouse will be covered in the event they are killed on the job;

WHEREAS, regardless of state or federal laws, a union contract is one of the most effective ways to prevent discrimination and ensure fair and equal benefits for all workers;

WHEREAS, the union members have a long and proud history of winning LGBT-inclusive union contracts that allow workers to work and support our families with safety, dignity and respect;

WHEREAS, in September 2011, the Pride @ Work National Executive Board passed a resolution opposing discrimination on the basis of gender identity in healthcare and calling on our sisters and brothers in labor to take action in support of transgender workers;

WHEREAS, transgender and gender non-conforming people have great difficulty securing affordable, comprehensive healthcare, and their situation is compounded by systemic discrimination and healthcare providers’ lack of basic cultural competency on transgender issues;

WHEREAS, many transgender people have their applications for health insurance denied when they disclose their transgender status or transition-related medical history (such as hormone level tests) to a potential insurer;

WHEREAS, most health insurance policies still specifically exclude transgender-related care and services, which often means that transgender workers and family members will not be covered for procedures like: hormone therapy, transition related surgery, and/or gender identity-related mental health services;

WHEREAS, gender identity discrimination in the form of ignorance, insensitivity, and outright bigotry is alienating and keeps people from accessing medically necessary care, such as hormone therapy, surgery, mental health services, and other doctor recommended procedures;

WHEREAS, lack of coverage can cause and/or aggravate additional serious and expensive health problems, such as stress-related physical illnesses, depression, and substance abuse problems, which further endanger patients’ health and strain the healthcare system;

WHEREAS, healthcare injustice has life-long effects on people’s ability to learn, work, and care for themselves mentally and physically;

WHEREAS, currently 85 major private employers and 3 public sector employers (City of San Francisco, Berkeley, and the City of Portland), as well as SEIU International and UNITE-HERE International, are currently providing trans inclusive healthcare coverage; and,

WHEREAS, self and fully-insured employer health plans are available and attainable and insurance carriers have available plans without blanket exclusions for transgender-related healthcare.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work supports public and private trans-inclusive health insurance coverage;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, Pride @ Work opposes exclusions of coverage for transgender individuals;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work encourages labor unions across the country to schedule LGBT- Inclusive Contract trainings to provide union leaders and members with the best practices and tools for winning LGBT-inclusive contracts;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work encourages labor unions across the country to assess and if needed update their recommended best practices to ensure full LGBT-inclusion;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work encourages all unions within the AFL-CIO, Change to Win and independent unions to provide trans-inclusive healthcare coverage for transgender employees who work for unions;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work encourages all unions representing both public and private sector workers to take all necessary steps towards offering transgender healthcare benefits for their members and employees; and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work urges the labor movement to engage with P@W and our community partners to use all leverage and negotiating opportunities at our disposal to exert pressure on insurers to remove transgender care exclusions, which serve no purpose other than discrimination against our transgender sisters and brothers.

WHEREAS, on February 26, 2012, unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was fatally shot by George Zimmerman
in Sanford, Florida;

WHEREAS, all of the LGBTQ community, regardless of race or ethnicity, can identify with the experience of someone killed simply because of who they are or what they look like;

WHEREAS, murder victims from hate crimes based on gender identity or expression are disproportionately women of color;

WHEREAS, the transgender people of color are especially hard it by economic injustice, as the National Center for Transgender Equality and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force found that:

• “Black and Latino LGBT people are more likely to be in poor health than both their heterosexual and non-transgender counterparts within communities of color and their White counterparts within the LGBT community;

• [that] Asian and Pacific Islander American LGBT and Native American LGBT/Two-Spirit communities undoubtedly bear similarly disproportionate burdens, though there is a serious lack of research in this area; and

• Black transgender people live in extreme poverty, with 34% reporting an income of $10,000 or less per year, twice the rate of all transgender people (15%), four times the general black population and over eight times the general U.S. population”;

WHEREAS, as of July 2012 the CNN reported that according to the Labor Department the “unemployment rate for blacks rose to 14.4% from 13.6% in May… a sharp contrast to the white unemployment rate, which stayed put at 7.4%, and the Hispanic rate, which held at 11%”;

WHEREAS, the A. Philip Randolph Institute, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, NAACP, Labor Coalition of Latin American Advancement, National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) and the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance have all take positions in support of both the Employment NonDiscrimination Act (ENDA) and marriage equality;

WHEREAS, our common struggles for good jobs and the ability work in safety with dignity and respect is a common bond that all of our communities share;

WHEREAS, advocating for LGBTQ equality without recognizing racial disparities and without including work on racial justice equates to only advocating for white LGBTQ people, which is not adequate or acceptable;

WHEREAS, it is not adequate to seek to train others on injustice and inequality without every organization look at similar work they need to do within their own house;

WHEREAS, Pride @ Work is committed to a progressive moment that includes all of us, and to raising the voices of marginalized workers;

WHEREAS, diversity work is vital not because it looks or sounds good, but because it makes our vision for a just world more whole and our work more effective; and

WHEREAS, Pride @ Work approaches work on racial justice and all work against discrimination from the perspective that we all have something to teach – and something to learn.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work commits to stand in solidarity in organizing for racial justice, because it is our own struggle;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work commits to continue the internal work within our own organization to better include, support and advocate for LGBTQ people of color, including education, training and dialogue;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, Pride @ Work will formally launch a P@W People of Color to lead and guide these efforts, to be first convened by Pride @ Work leaders Gabe González and Stan Kiino, with national staff support;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work calls on all of the LGBTQ community to continue expanding efforts to ensure that LGBTQ people of color are represented in all levels of staff, elected leadership and organizational messaging and priorities for action;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Pride @ Work will continue to prioritize LGBTQ people of color in our training and leadership development, to support efforts to train new and diverse leadership from the grassroots of our movement;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work will continue to engage and partner with other LGBTQ and allied efforts for racial justice within our unions and the labor/progressive movement as a whole;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work will formalize our existing mentoring support for trained LGBTQ labor leaders who are people of color as they continue to build their skills and experience;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work will prioritize seating of LGBTQ labor leaders who are people of color into decision-making seats within Pride @ Work and our labor movement as a whole; and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work will educate and activate our members and leadership in support of vital issues for LGBTQ people of color.

WHEREAS, this generation, there has been a beautiful and fabulous explosion of LGBTQ youth activism, inspiring
the future of our movement for equality and justice;

WHEREAS, our unions and the national labor movement have launched national efforts to listen, support, train and engage young workers in the leadership of our movement;

WHEREAS, many Pride @ Work Chapters are led by and with young LGBTQ labor activists, who bring skills, creativity and vital voices to the work of LGBTQ labor;

WHEREAS, Pride @ Work is committed to continuing to develop and mentor our younger leaders, providing access to training and leadership opportunities;

WHEREAS, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in August 2012 that the “youth unemployment rate was 17.1 percent in July 2012. The unemployment rate for young men was 17.9 percent, in July 2012, and the rate for women was 16.2 percent. The jobless rate for whites was 14.9 percent, compared with 28.6 percent for blacks, 14.4 percent for Asians, and 18.5 percent for Hispanics”;

WHEREAS, young LGBTQ people face disproportionate levels of homelessness and imprisonment, particularly LGBTQ youth who are also people of color;

WHEREAS, the CDC found through “a 2009 survey of more than 7,000 LGBT middle and high school students aged 13–21 years that in the past year, because of their sexual orientation—

• Eight of ten students had been verbally harassed at school;

• Four of ten had been physically harassed at school;

• Six of ten felt unsafe at school; and

• One of five had been the victim of a physical assault at school.”

WHEREAS, the Trevor Project reports that:

• “According to the CDC, suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24 and accounts for 12.2% of the deaths every year in that age group. (2009 CDC, “10 Leading Causes of Death by Age Group – United States, 2009”)

• Suicide attempts by LGB youth and questioning youth are 4 to 6 times more likely to result in injury, poisoning, or overdose that requires treatment from a doctor or nurse, compared to their straight peers. (2011, CDC, “Sexual Identity, Sex of Sexual

• Contacts, and Health-Risk Behaviors Among Students in Grades 9-12: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance”)

• LGB youth are 4 times more likely, and questioning youth are 3 times more likely, to attempt suicide as their straight peers. (2011, CDC, “Sexual Identity, Sex of Sexual Contacts, and Health-Risk Behaviors Among Students in Grades 9-12: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance”

• LGB youth who come from highly rejecting families are up to 8 times as likely to have attempted suicide as LGB peers who reported no or low levels of family rejection. (2010, Family Acceptance ProjectTM “Family Acceptance in Adolescence and the Health of LGBT Young Adults”)

• 1 out of 6 students nationwide (grades 9-12) seriously considered suicide in the past year. (2011 CDC, “Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance – United States, 2011”);

WHEREAS, in the transgender community as a whole (not limited to youth), a staggering 41% of transgender people in the United States have attempted to commit suicide. This statistics varies from 32% to 51% based on whether the individual’s family accepted or rejected them; and

WHEREAS, the CDC reports that compared with LGBT young adults who experienced very little or no parental rejection, LGBT young adults who experienced high levels of rejection were

• Nearly 6 times as likely to have high levels of depression;

• More than 8 times as likely to have attempted suicide;

• More than 3 times as likely to use illegal drugs; and

• More than 3 times as likely to engage in unprotected sexual behaviors that put them at increased risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work will continue to work intentionally to develop a deeper bench of younger LGBT labor leaders with the skills and experience to serve in a variety of local and national leadership roles within P@W;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, Pride @ Work will formally launch a P@W Youth Caucus to lead and guide these efforts, to be first convened by Pride @ Work leaders Shellea Allen and Gabe González, with national staff support;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work will continue to include the voices of younger workers in sharing the needs, experiences and successes of LGBTQ workers;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work will continue to budget scholarship assistance to support the engagement of younger leaders, transgender workers and LGBTQ people of color in our trainings and our work as a whole;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work will continue to engage and partner with other young worker efforts within our unions and the labor movement as a whole;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work will formalize our existing mentoring support for trained younger LGBTQ labor leaders as they continue to build their skills and experience;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work will prioritize seating of younger LGBTQ labor leaders into decision-making seats within Pride @ Work and our labor movement as a whole; and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride @ Work will educate and activate our members and leadership in support of vital issues for young workers and the youth of our LGBTQ community.

WHEREAS, parent engagement is essential to ensuring children thrive in the classroom;

WHEREAS, the power of partnerships between parents, teachers and the community is at the heart of school change by establishing meaningful ways for parents to collaborate in their children’s public education from the beginning—before a school is failing;

WHEREAS, parents are actually calling for real investments in their neighborhood public schools that should be the collective focus of unions, parents , students and community;

WHEREAS, teacher unions are democratic organizations that empower educators to win the tools and voice they need to help children and collective bargaining is the process by which individuals come together to make things better;

WHEREAS, a recent Education Sector survey of teachers made clear that America’s teachers—both union and nonunion—recognize the importance of unions in strengthening the teaching profession and our public schools;

WHEREAS, the movie “Won’t Back Down” (WBD) portrays teacher unions as the culprit for all of the problems facing our schools, instead of recognizing problem of declining resources, crumbling infrastructure, over- structured teaching curricula focused around testing rather than learning and lack of dialogue between parents and school systems;

WHEREAS, WBD poses a false choice between either the students or the teachers rather than collaborative work between parents, community and school to make low performing public schools into schools where every parent would want to send his or her child and every teacher would want to teach;

WHEREAS, WBD portrays “parent trigger laws” as parent engagement tools instead of the reality that these laws use parents to give control of our schools over to for-profit corporations; and,

WHEREAS, Pride At Work (P@W) supports the rights of workers to organize, collectively bargain and preserve union work from privatization.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that P@W inform its member about the false premises and attacks on unions portrayed in Won’t Back Down, and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that P@W and its chapters unite with teacher union affiliates, parents and community groups to educate, inform and demonstrate to community members how school reform can work through collaboration and engagement rather than division and,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that P@W encourage its members and their families to work with their public schools to improve infrastructure, increase communications about school programs and generate partnerships to improve the quality of public education.

WHEREAS, our lesbian, bisexual and transgender sisters in the labor movement face increased financial hardship due to lack of legal relationship and family recognition, discrimination based on both sexual orientation and gender or gender identity and lack of access to equal benefits;

WHEREAS, our sisters at the Coalition of Labor Union Women report, “almost fifty years after Congress passed the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, women and minorities continue to suffer the consequences of inequitable pay differentials. According to U.S. Census Bureau Statistics, year- round, full-time working women earned only 77% of the earnings of year round full-time working men, indicating little change in progress on pay equity;

WHEREAS, while the wage gap is 80 cents for Caucasian women, it is even larger for many women of color, with African-American women making only 62 cents, and Hispanic women only 53 cents, for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men;

WHEREAS, in 2011 women and men still tend to work in different kinds of jobs; this segregation of occupations is a major factor behind the pay gap. Among the 108 occupations for which the Bureau of Labor Statistics collects data that allows for valid comparison, women’s earnings are higher than men’s in only three – counselors, combined food preparation and serving workers (including fast food), and stock clerks and order fillers;

WHEREAS, just one year out of college, working women generally earn less than their male colleagues in the same field and with the same degree. Over a working lifetime, this wage disparity costs the average American woman and her family $700,000 to $2 million in lost wages, and also impacts social security benefits and pensions;

WHEREAS, in the current recession, female-headed households, which makes up 85% of single parent families, have been particularly hard hit with an unemployment rate of 11.3 percent. Minority women are also often in precarious circumstances in the present economy, since they are more likely to be in jobs that pay less than men and more likely to experience slower wage growth;

WHEREAS, many employers do not disclose pay rates for job categories and forbid workers to discuss their pay information with co-workers and others under penalty of dismissal, making inequities very difficult to discover. This helps to continue the inequities as well as create workplace fear and intimidation;

WHEREAS, the 2011 Supreme Court ruling in the Wal-Mart vs. Duke gender discrimination case blocked the biggest potential class-action lawsuit in history, prohibiting 1.5 million women from filing suit together in gender discrimination charges against Wal-Mart. The devastating ruling highlights the importance of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which was reintroduced this year by Senator Barbara Mikulski and Representative Rosa DeLauro;

WHEREAS, Congress took an important step in passing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. This vital law reverses the Supreme Court’s decision in Ledbetter vs. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co, and helps to ensure that individuals subject to unlawful compensation discrimination are able to effectively assert their rights under the federal anti-discrimination laws. But the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, critical as it is, is just one of the many tools needed to address unfair wage disparities; and,

WHEREAS, The Paycheck Fairness Act updates and strengthens the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to ensure that it will provide effective protections against sex-based pay discrimination. Toward that end, the comprehensive bill bars retaliation against workers who voluntarily discuss their wages. It allows women to receive the same remedies for sex based pay discrimination that are currently available to those subject to Discrimination based on race and ethnicity.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
Pride @ Work joins our sisters and brothers in the labor movement in committing to vigorously support the prompt passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act (S.797/H.R. 1519) which will:

• Allow employees to disclose salary information to co-workers despite workplace rules;

• Allow class action lawsuits to be filed and provide for compensatory and punitive damages;

• Call for a study of data collected by the EEOC and propose voluntary guidelines to show employers how to evaluate jobs;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED Pride @ Work will urge its members and chapters to educate their union brothers and sisters on the importance of the Paycheck Fairness Act and make its passage a top priority;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED Pride @ Work will encourage our Chapters and members to urge members of Congress to co-sponsor the Paycheck Fairness Act; and

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED Pride @ Work will support efforts to end all forms of wage discrimination and bringing to the attention of our union co-workers and national/international unions the continued existence of the gender pay gap and the need for its elimination NOW.

WHEREAS, our lesbian, bisexual and transgender sisters in the labor movement face increased financial hardship due to lack of legal relationship and family recognition, discrimination based on both sexual orientation and gender or gender identity and lack of access to equal benefits;

WHEREAS, our sisters at the Coalition of Labor Union Women report, “almost fifty years after Congress passed the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, women and minorities continue to suffer the consequences of inequitable pay differentials. According to U.S. Census Bureau Statistics, year- round, full-time working women earned only 77% of the earnings of year round full-time working men, indicating little change in progress on pay equity;

WHEREAS, while the wage gap is 80 cents for Caucasian women, it is even larger for many women of color, with African-American women making only 62 cents, and Hispanic women only 53 cents, for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men;

WHEREAS, in 2011 women and men still tend to work in different kinds of jobs; this segregation of occupations is a major factor behind the pay gap. Among the 108 occupations for which the Bureau of Labor Statistics collects data that allows for valid comparison, women’s earnings are higher than men’s in only three – counselors, combined food preparation and serving workers (including fast food), and stock clerks and order fillers;

WHEREAS, just one year out of college, working women generally earn less than their male colleagues in the same field and with the same degree. Over a working lifetime, this wage disparity costs the average American woman and her family $700,000 to $2 million in lost wages, and also impacts social security benefits and pensions;

WHEREAS, in the current recession, female-headed households, which makes up 85% of single parent families, have been particularly hard hit with an unemployment rate of 11.3 percent. Minority women are also often in precarious circumstances in the present economy, since they are more likely to be in jobs that pay less than men and more likely to experience slower wage growth;

WHEREAS, many employers do not disclose pay rates for job categories and forbid workers to discuss their pay information with co-workers and others under penalty of dismissal, making inequities very difficult to discover. This helps to continue the inequities as well as create workplace fear and intimidation;

WHEREAS, the 2011 Supreme Court ruling in the Wal-Mart vs. Duke gender discrimination case blocked the biggest potential class-action lawsuit in history, prohibiting 1.5 million women from filing suit together in gender discrimination charges against Wal-Mart. The devastating ruling highlights the importance of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which was reintroduced this year by Senator Barbara Mikulski and Representative Rosa DeLauro;

WHEREAS, Congress took an important step in passing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. This vital law reverses the Supreme Court’s decision in Ledbetter vs. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co, and helps to ensure that individuals subject to unlawful compensation discrimination are able to effectively assert their rights under the federal anti-discrimination laws. But the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, critical as it is, is just one of the many tools needed to address unfair wage disparities; and,

WHEREAS, The Paycheck Fairness Act updates and strengthens the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to ensure that it will provide effective protections against sex-based pay discrimination. Toward that end, the comprehensive bill bars retaliation against workers who voluntarily discuss their wages. It allows women to receive the same remedies for sex based pay discrimination that are currently available to those subject to Discrimination based on race and ethnicity.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
Pride @ Work joins our sisters and brothers in the labor movement in committing to vigorously support the prompt passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act (S.797/H.R. 1519) which will:

• Allow employees to disclose salary information to co-workers despite workplace rules;

• Allow class action lawsuits to be filed and provide for compensatory and punitive damages;

• Call for a study of data collected by the EEOC and propose voluntary guidelines to show employers how to evaluate jobs;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED Pride @ Work will urge its members and chapters to educate their union brothers and sisters on the importance of the Paycheck Fairness Act and make its passage a top priority;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED Pride @ Work will encourage our Chapters and members to urge members of Congress to co-sponsor the Paycheck Fairness Act; and

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED Pride @ Work will support efforts to end all forms of wage discrimination and bringing to the attention of our union co-workers and national/international unions the continued existence of the gender pay gap and the need for its elimination NOW.