2015

WHEREAS, since last summer, around the nation, the idea that “black lives matter,” has been the subject of intense activism from many Pride at Work members and allied organizations, and;

WHEREAS, issues of systemic racism continue to plague the United States of America, and;

WHEREAS, we see this racism play itself out in myriad ways: in youth unemployment rates among people of color that approach 50%; in the enormous disparity between total wealth in white households versus total wealth in households of African-Americans; in separate and unequal systems of public elementary and secondary education; in enormous racial gulfs in post-secondary educational achievement, and;

WHEREAS, we have seen this racism reveal itself in massive divides in city after city across the nation following the deaths of young African-American men during encounters with police – when deep seated fears within our communities come to the forefront, and;

WHEREAS, we have also seen this racism manifest in the brutal abuse and senseless murder of African-American transgender women on the streets of our cities and towns, and;

WHEREAS, neither the men and women who work in the front lines of law enforcement nor the people who belong to minority communities created the conditions of racial division that persist in our country and divide working people along artificial lines, but all of us are negatively impacted by this division and oppression and have a responsibility to challenge it, and;

WHEREAS although we know that the vast majority of the men and women who work in law enforcement do so out of a sincere effort to serve and protect the community and everyone in it, without regard to race, color or ethnicity, we cannot ignore the widening gap of trust between the people who work in this profession and many in the communities they serve, and;

WHEREAS, too often, our political leaders seek to exploit these fears and expand these divisions – between police and the communities they serve, between whites and people of color, between young and old and and in other ways, and;

WHEREAS, we see this in the push to privatize education primarily in communities with high concentrations of African-Americans, and;

WHEREAS, we see this in attacks on public services being justified by politicians using thinly veiled racial references to stigmatize people who use public services and the workers who provide those services, and;

WHEREAS, we can see this in trade policies that will hurt jobs in our big cities and small towns – many of which are concentrated in communities and industries with large populations of African-Americans, and;

WHEREAS, we have seen in some communities how the total disinvestment in the middle class has left municipal governments with no sources of revenue other than turning their police department into a ticket writing operation targeted at the poor and disproportionately African-American communities, and;

WHEREAS, we can see this through a raft of voter suppression laws being considered or enacted all over the nation with the intention of suppressing the rights of black Americans to vote, and;

WHEREAS, in the labor movement and in the LGBTQ community, we have too often allowed ourselves to be divided along artificial racial lines – divided actively by overt displays of prejudice or divided passively by willful negligence in challenging inequality, divisions that always make us all weaker, and;

WHEREAS, racial inequality has always been a favored tool of those who wish to weaken and divide working people, and;

WHEREAS, confronting and ameliorating the reality of racial prejudice and structural racial inequality is the only means of effectively challenging this problem, and;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride at Work is committed to equality and believes that every life matters, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that as long as powerful elites try to divide us by exploiting and oppressing the African American community, Pride at Work is specifically dedicated to the the principle that “black lives matter,” and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that, as we assess the impacts of policies within our organization, within the labor movement, with our employers, and within our government that we assess the impacts of those policies specifically on dismantling structural racial inequality in our country, and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that public services should serve all of our communities and that public services that systematically under-serve or mistreat communities because of racial prejudice must be challenged and changed, and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the men and women who work in law enforcement want to do a critical job of protecting the public; that they are part of the same attack that public employees in every field face from anti-worker politicians; and that the desire by some to exploit men and women in law enforcement to further racial divisions dishonors the profession and endangers those who work in it, and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the men and women who work in law enforcement and the communities they serve deserve full, transparent, and impartial investigations into allegations of misconduct, and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the idea that “black lives matter,” and “black employment matter,” should guide the work of our organization in every aspect.

WHEREAS, Cheryl Bollinger served as Co-Vice President of Pride at Work from 2009-2012, helping to see us through a difficult time, and;

WHEREAS, Cheryl was a rock of stability and good will through an often contentious process. Regardless of differences of opinion, Cheryl was always respectful and considerate to others, and;

WHEREAS, she was both an advocate and a bridge builder, and;

WHEREAS, before joining Pride at Work’s Executive Committee, Cheryl helped to rebuild our Michigan Chapter, and;

WHEREAS, she also served as Co-Vice President of SEIU’s Lavender Caucus, and;

WHEREAS, Cheryl retired from the leadership of Pride at Work at our last convention in September 2012, and;

WHEREAS Cheryl died in December 2013;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Pride at Work remember Cheryl’s memory and legacy.

WHEREAS, Stephen Dinion had a gentle soul and a passion for social justice. He was a wonderful person to know, loved by his partner, family, friends, and community. For those who knew Stephen, and even for those who had never met him, we are better people.

WHEREAS, Stephen founded the Honolulu chapter of Pride At Work.  He was an astounding musician, community organizer, labor organizer, and so much more. He touched the hearts of those in his life and his fighting spirit will live on in our movement.

WHEREAS, from the beginning days of Pride At Work in Honolulu to the fight for workers rights and ending the wars in the Middle East, Steve was on the front lines for social justice.

WHEREAS, his spirit will be with us every day as we organize workers and stand up for equality across the country and the world. It is not goodbye, but until we meet again.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Pride at Work remember Steve Dinion’s memory and legacy.

LGBT Equality in the Workplace Includes Labor Rights
A Resolution to Address the Fundamental Flaws of HRC’s Corporate Equality Index

WHEREAS, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is the largest and best-funded LGBT civil rights organization in the United States, and;

WHEREAS, given its breadth and scope, HRC has a special responsibility to stand up and speak out for all members of the LGBT community, and;

WHEREAS, too often, HRC has catered to its big-moneyed donors at the expense of those who live on the margins, and;

WHEREAS, these misguided priorities have disproportionately impacted the transgender community, people of color, and workers, and;

WHEREAS, nowhere is this more apparent than in HRC’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI), and;

WHEREAS, LGBT consumers look to the CEI when deciding how to spend their hard-earned money, and;

WHEREAS, the CEI should paint an accurate and complete picture about companies’ policies AND practices when it comes to LGBT equality, but has fallen woefully short of this standard, and;

WHEREAS, Walmart has a long track record of anti-LGBT discrimination, and;

WHEREAS, Walmart was a substantial financial backer of the key proponents of Arkansas Senate Bill 202, legislation that encouraged discrimination against the LGBT community, and;

WHEREAS, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found that Walmart discriminated against Jaqueline Cote, a lesbian worker, by denying her spouse health insurance, and;

WHEREAS, Cote’s spouse is currently battling ovarian cancer and the couple has racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills, and;

WHEREAS, despite these factors and many others, Walmart received a 90 percent on HRC’s latest CEI, and;

WHEREAS, the CEI does not take into account a company’s commitment to workers’ rights, including the right to form a union and bargain collectively, and;

WHEREAS, a collective bargaining agreement is the only thing protecting LGBT workers from being fired in more than half of all states;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, Pride at Work calls on HRC to do more to support economic and social justice, and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, Pride at Work calls on HRC to suspend the CEI score of Walmart and all other companies that systematically violate LGBT and workers’ rights, and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, Pride at Work calls on HRC to fundamentally revamp the CEI so it serves as an accurate barometer of where companies stand on LGBT equality, and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, Pride at Work calls on HRC to include representatives from organized labor on their Business Advisory Council, which is the organizational body responsible for the CEI, and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, Pride at Work calls upon all labor unions, labor federations, and labor-affiliated organizations to cease funding HRC at all levels until these matters are addressed in a manner that shows HRC stands in solidarity with all working Americans for a fair, just and equal society, and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, Pride at Work will actively engage and educate HRC on these and other labor-related issues at every level until the CEI paints an accurate picture of the conditions workers face.

Pride at Work Supports Xenia Workers
A Resolution to Demand a Fair Process for Xenia Hotel Workers to Organize

WHEREAS, Xenia owns dozens of hotels nationwide, and;

WHEREAS, housekeepers and other workers at Xenia-owned hotels suffer strenuous workloads, low wages, unaffordable healthcare, and other indignities on the job, and,

WHEREAS, workers at Xenia-owned hotels in Chicago, Honolulu, Santa Clara, and Garden Grove have taken bold steps to end mistreatment, demanding a fair process to unionize, and;

WHEREAS, LGBTQ travelers’ estimated economic impact is over $100 billion per year in the U.S. alone, and;

WHEREAS, Pride at Work has consistently supported the efforts of hotel workers to organize for a fairer, safer, and more respectful workplace;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Pride at Work calls on Xenia Hotels to honor these workers’ demand for a fair process to organize. Without such a process, Pride at Work is prepared to endorse economic actions when called upon.

Resolution Supporting the Massage Advocacy Project

Licensed Massage Therapists (LMTs) work hard across the country to help their customers live healthier, more holistic lives. But many LMTs struggle with low wages, limited access to health care and no time off.

To make their lives better, LMTs are joining together in the Massage Advocacy Project, a massage therapist-led advocacy organization launched by Working America in the Portland, OR area to make their lives and workplaces better and to build collective strength.

As many working LMTs are allies and members of the LGBTQ community, Pride at Work should stand with LMTs to improve working conditions.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

-Pride at Work believes that no employee should be forced to work without access to health care, and no time off of work.

-Pride at Work will work with Working America support the Massage Advocacy Project by helping to communicate and reach out to members in the Portland area.

-Pride at Work will encourage its local Portland chapter to urge members to support and educate the local community on the Massage Advocacy Project and its campaigns.

 P@WAdmin

LGBT Discrimination Is Un-American
A Resolution in Support of the Equality Act

WHEREAS, the United States of America was founded on the principle of equality and justice under the law, and;

WHEREAS, the LGBT community has faced rampant discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations, education, credit, and nearly every other aspect of our lives, and;

WHEREAS, federal, state, and local governments have, historically and in many cases currently, been complacent in protecting LGBT people from discrimination, harassment, and violence, while at times also being actively engaged in those activities, and;

WHEREAS, LGBT people deserve the same protections, dignity, and respect as all other Americans, and;

WHEREAS, LGBT people of color, women, and especially those who are gender non-conforming, face some of the highest rates of unemployment, poverty, violence, and discrimination in the country, and;

WHEREAS, marriage equality has reached every corner of our nation, but federally and in 29 states (33 if you are transgender) there are no laws in place to protect LGBT people from discrimination in the workplace, housing, or in any other setting, and;

WHEREAS, the Supreme Court of the United States has twice affirmed that gay, lesbian, and bisexual people deserve the same basic dignity, respect, and protection of the rule of law that all Americans enjoy, and;

WHEREAS, the President of the United States has stated “LGBT rights are human rights,” and;

WHEREAS, Senators Merkley, Baldwin, and Booker and Representatives Cicilline, and Lewis have introduced the Equality Act in Congress to address LGBT discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, credit, and other aspects of daily life, and;

WHEREAS, the Equality Act is a strong, comprehensive anti-discrimination bill that addresses the most pressing aspects of discrimination faced by LGBT Americans;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, Pride @ Work calls on Congress to pass and the President to sign the Equality Act with all due haste, and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, Pride @ Work calls upon all labor unions, labor federations, and labor-affiliated organizations to support and advocate for the Equality Act’s passage, and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, Pride @ Work will work at all levels to develop support for the Equality Act and actively work for its passage.