Stuart Applebaum, President of Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) and of the Jewish Labor Committee, is the first international labor leader in the US to come out. He does so in the midst of the New York battle for marriage equality.

"Marriage equality is so important to me," he says, "I came out because of it." Read the news article... 
 

Congressman Barney Frank introduced the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in the House of Representatives on June 24, 2009.  This landmark civil rights legislation would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.

Take Action!  Email your Congressional representatives and ask them to support ENDA.

Click here to see what labor leaders are saying about ENDA.

For more information and extensive resources on ENDA, check out our Issues page.

Please urge Congress to support H.R. 2460, The Healthy Families Act!

On June 11, the Workforce Protections Subcommittee will hold hearings on H.R. 2460, The Healthy Families Act. This LGBT-inclusive bill would guarantee seven paid sick days per year for workers at businesses with 15 or more employees.  Read more...

Click here to meet our new intern Elizabeth!

Today, the California Supreme Court upheld Proposition 8, the voter initiative that stripped lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in California of the right to marry.  Pride At Work is disappointed at the court's decision. The court's initial ruling, over a year ago, stated that marriage was a "basic civil right" that should not be denied to someone on the basis of their sexual orientation. Pride At Work will continue to work with our allies in the labor community to explain the real-life consequences that our community's lack of access to this "basic civil right" has on our families.

Plans for the 2009 Convention, "Demanding a More Perfect Union," are well under way.  This year's convention will be in Pittsburgh, PA, September 11-13.  We hope you'll join us as we gather to envision a better world for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender workers.

Tell us why the Employee Free Choice Act and being a union member is important to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers!

Today, Vermont's legislature has voted to override Governor Douglas' veto of the state's marriage equality bill. Vermont will become the fourth state to legalize marriage for same-sex couples - joining Iowa, Connecticut and Massachusetts – and the first to do so through the legislature.

In a unanimous ruling today, the Iowa Supreme Court upheld a 2007 lower court ruling that a 1998 law banning same-sex unions was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court ruled that the 1998 law violated the equal protection clause in the Iowa Constitution.

The Martin Luther King County Labor Council today endorsed the “Day of Decision” event which will mark the California Supreme Court’s decision on three petitions to strike down Proposition 8.

The Employee Free Choice Act was just introduced! Simply put, this legislation will allow employees to make their own decision about whether they want to bargain together - to advocate for fairer wages, benefits and working conditions - without the threat or fear of harassment and retribution and fear of losing their livelihood.

 In July of 2008, Pride At Work announced that we would hold our 2009 Pride At Work Convention in San Francisco, CA at the Westin St. Francis Hotel.

Since then, our economy has gone into a free-fall, with working people being hit hardest. Over 2.6 million jobs were lost in 2008, with losses continuing into 2009. In addition, the stock market has lost over 50%of its value in the last year, impacting the foundation community andlabor community, many who fund Pride At Work, tremendously. (read more after the fold)

In West Virginia, recently-introduced bills in the Senate and House (238 and 2925, respectively) aim to protect people from discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity in employment, housing and public accommodations. 

Read on for how you can support equal immigration rights for LGBT couples and their families.

Maryland residents have an opportunity to make transgender workplace discrimination illegal by contact their members of the House of Delegates and pass House Bill 474.

Click above to learn more and take action.

The public hearing for Civil Unions Bill (HB444 HD1) before the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Government Operations is on Tues., Feb. 24, at 9 a.m. in the auditorium at the Capitol.

It is crucial that you take a moment to help progress this legislation with these important actions:

The road to passing this critical legislation is heating up.  Please check out our Employee Free Choice Fact Sheet - and share generously!

HB 444, which would create civil unions for gay and lesbian couples in Hawai'i, was introduced by Rep. Blake Oshiro in the Hawai'i House of Representatives. 32 representatives have signed on as co-sponsors. The bill would extend the same rights, benefits, protections, and responsibilities of spouses in a marriage to partners in a civil union, and would also recognize civil unions, domestic partnerships, and same-sex marriages performed in other states as civil unions here.

The Labor Project for Working Families' 2009 Winter Newsletter features an article about how the labor movement and union members are advocating for full LGBT equality.  Read on for the full article.

A coalition of more than 50 California labor organizations, including Pride At Work and the California Labor Federation, will file an amicus brief on Friday in support of the three lawsuits now challenging Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot initiative that added a same-sex marriage ban to the California state constitution.

We just received notice that Pride At Work is being honored at the People's Inaugural Gayla, an Inaugural Ball during the Inauguration Festivities.

Labor organizations across California have teamed up with a labor attorney to file a labor-specific Amicus Brief calling for the repeal of Prop 8. Take Action: Urge your local labor organizations to sign on!

As you probably know, Pride At Work is YOUR organization: YOU own it. Our unique, ultra-democratic structure makes us a truly membership-based and driven national organization. Through YOUR local chapter, YOU elect the members who sit on our National Board. YOU directly elect the Executive Committee members and YOU vote on our program and internal priorities at Pride At Work's Convention. As such, we rely on YOU for our existence: YOUR commitment to social and economic justice, YOUR input on Pride At Work's programs, and YOUR financial assistance keep us going. We need YOUR help to guarantee that this critical work carries on.

 Pride at Work is proud to support the candidacy of Mary Beth Maxwell, Executive Director of American Rights at Work, for Secretary of Labor in the forthcoming Obama Administration.

A broad coalition of national lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender organizations is gearing up to push for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, which would remove obstacles for workers who want union representation.

The LGBT organizations supporting the bill include some of the community’s largest and most influential. They are: the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF), the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), Pride at Work, AFL-CIO, National Stonewall Democrats, National Youth Advocacy Coalition, and, most recently, the Human Rights Campaign.

If you've heard it once, you've heard it a million times.  Get out and vote!

Check inside for some Election Day resources.

Recent California Field Polls are now showing Support for Proposition 8 ahead. If you care about the rights of LGBT people to marry in California the time to get involved is now.

If we want to make sure that union members vote No on 8, it is our responsibility as Pride At Work members and supporters to make that happen!

So what can you do? Pride At Work chapters and members are mobilizing around the state for nights of phone banking to labor union members and others. Here are some dates you should know, and the contact person you should contact to get involved.

San Diego Pride At Work is hosting a benefit for marriage equality, to raise funds for No On Prop 8, the campaign against Proposition 8.  Christine Chavez is the night's featured guest, and the host committee is full of special San Diego LGBT-Labor folks!  Be sure to check it out!

Here's a report from Pride At Work San Francisco, on a recent Worker Rights briefing they hosted.  It highlights some major worker rights struggles currently being faced in the SF/Bay Area.

National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) President Colleen M. Kelley gave testimony at a Senate committee hearing, urging the passage of legislation to provide federal employees with domestic partners the same access as married employees and their spouses to participate in benefit programs.

Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers, speaks out to support marriage equality and oppose Californi Proposition 8.  Watch her video message ...  

 Pride at Work applauds the decision of the Maryland Court of Appeals today to throw out a referendum aimed at repealing civil rights protection for transgender and gender-different residents of Montgomery County, Maryland.

The New York State AFL-CIO in August passed three historic resolutions calling on the New York State Legislature to pass bills that provide marriage equality for same-sex couples, ban discrimination against transgender New Yorkers and provide a mechanism to end bullying and harassment of LGBT youth in public schools. All three resolutions passed without objection.

Pride at Work is joining up with the Labor Coouncil for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) to call for a moratorium on mass roundups of undocumented workers by the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

San Francisco Pride At Work's Queer Youth Organizing Project has been picked by the San Francisco Bay Guardian as a 2008 Local Hero. Read on for the article.

The California Federation of Labor voted to oppose a right-wing ballot initiative in that state that would deny lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples the right to marry, and committed resources to the fight against the measure.

Coast to coast, Pride At Work chapters participated in Pride Festivals, using the opportunity to educate LGBT folks about working class issues, and, of course, have a little fun.  Check out these pictures ...

Recently, Pride At Work Executive Director had the opportunity to speak about the intersections of the labor movement and the lgbt movement for KBOO radio, Portland's community radio portal.

WASHINGTON, DC- In a huge step forward for fairness and equality, California's Supreme Court ruled today that the state
could not deny LGBT couples the right to marry.

Recently, thousands of Flight Attendants of Aloha and ATA airlines have been laid off, due to their respective companies going out of business.  As any working person can contend, this is a terrible time to be unemployed.  Covered by contracts negotiated by the Association of Flight Attendants, these flight attendants leave stable wages, health care benefits, and a path to retirement behind for the unemployment line.

Quite frankly, their need is high, and resources are low.  That is why we are hoping Pride At Work members and allies can show their power.

WASHINGTON, DC – Pride @ Work, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) constituency group of the labor movement, deplored today’s decision by the Michigan Supreme Court against domestic partner benefits for the same-sex partners of public employees.

Washington, DC- In March of 2007, the Pride At Work Washington, DC Chapter created a special campaign called, “Blow the whistle on Bloch” to highlight the defacto removal of whistleblower protection in the Office of Special Counsel, the office that was created to enforce civil rights protections and protect whistleblowers in the federal workforce.

Today, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents raided the Office of Special Counsel, seizing computers and documents belonging to the agency chief Scott Bloch and staff.

Raise your voice for same-sex binational couples by supporting the Uniting American Families Act.  Immigration Equality is leading the battle to pass this crucial legislation that will grant equal rights to American citizens who are in same-sex relationships with non-citizens - and you can help!

Wal-Mart’s constant quest for the lowest price, has finally come, to well, bite them in their big proverbial corporate ass. 

Andre Wilson, a Pride At Work leader out of Michigan, is currently being featured on the AFL-CIO's "Heart of the Movement."  This is the first time an out LGBT person has been included in this section. 

Way to go, Andre!

Pride At Work is co-sponsoring the National Center for Transgender Equality's annual Lobby Day this April 14 and 15.  Whether you identify as trans or as an ally, please join us as we visit with our members of Congress to talk with them about the need for an Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that includes gender identity, a hate crimes bill and more.  Lots more information after the jump. 

San Diego Pride At Work and the San Diego and Imperial Counties Central Labor Council have teamed up to bring an LGBT Labor Leadership School to San Diego! Please join us for this day-long workshop, which will focus on the intersection of LGBT issues and labor issues and will equip participants with tools for uniting these communities in the fight for social and economic justice.

Do you have health care coverage for yourself, for your partner? Does your employer offer domestic partner benefits? Are you left out of many healthcare plans because of transgender exclusions?

We need to hear your stories. We are at a moment where we could make healthcare for all a reality in America. But your stories are key to making that happen. Please take our health care survey today.  

Washington, DC- The Bureau of Labor Statistics released their annual union membership numbers, showing an overall increase of 311,000 union members in 2007, increasing union density from 12.0% to 12.1% This is the largest increase in union membership since 1979.

The Pride At Work Winter 2007 Newsletter is now available online for easy downloading and printing.  To download your copy, please click here. 

As many of you know, the federal government recently came up with draconian rules about social security no-match letters.  These rules said that if there was something wrong with an employee’s social security information that the employee has 90 days to fix it or they must be fired.

Jobs With Justice will be holding a National Workers' Rights Board on the no-match letter situation and they have invited a trans-expert to speak.  Learn more after the fold...

The Writers Guild of America, East is circulating a statement about Ellen DeGeneres, expressing the union's disappointment in her lack of support for the striking writers. Read the entire release after the jump.

The passage this evening by the House of Representatives of a deeply flawed version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is deeply disappointing. Both the removal of gender identity protections for the bill and the incorporation of the language of the infamous Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) into legislation that was supposed to free the LGBT community from discrimination are unacceptable to Pride at Work, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender constituency group of the AFL-CIO.

Today, the House Committee on Education and Labor voted HR 3685 out of committee.  Unfortunately, the bill voted out of committee, does not include gender identity.  However, Representative Tammy Baldwin will be introducing an amendment on the floor to add gender identity back into ENDA.

While we think that the strategy pushed by leadership is not responsive to the concerns of the LGBT community, we must push leadership to fix this bill, and if they can not fix it, through the amendment, then leadership must kill the bill.  More inside...

Worried about your safety?  You should be.  On Southwest, one of the most unionized airlines in the country, management is up to its dirty tricks again, replacing "D" list flight attendants (usually reserved for new flight attendant trainees) with management and supervisors.

Over 2,200 questions were submitted and voted on, and our question in regards to ending marriage discrimination is a finalist. We know that marriage equality is fundamentally a worker issue, but the rest of the world does not. Here is our chance to raise ending marriage discrimination to a crowd of over 15,000 workers and millions of viewers- and raise it as a fundamental workers' right issue.

Who thought that a minority of 5% could have a question in the top ten that union members want asked?  Lets pull out a victory here for LGBT working people, lets get on the stage.. VOTE NOW!

President Bush has Nominated Dr. James Holsinger to be the next Surgeon General.  Please help stop this grave injustice upon our nation's healthcare system.

Virgin America airlines is anti-union and represents the potential loss of standards labor has been able to establish as part of our once-friendly skies.  Don't lose your virginity with Virgin America.

The AFL-CIO Presidential Candidates Forum is asking union members what they would ask the candidates.

Working people can submit questions and vote for the questions that will be asked at the August 7th AFL-CIO Presidential Candidates Forum!

Pride At Work has submitted several questions, check them out - and if you would like to hear the candidates answer them, VOTE for them!!!

Pennsylvania Residents:

The Massachusetts Legislature defeated an anti-marriage equality constitutional amendment, keeping it off the ballot in 2008, while the New York State Assembly passed a marriage equality bill.

With the recent decisions by several public employers in Michigan to take steps to rescind benefits for employees’ domestic partners, many in our community are wondering what we can do to fight back against the drive by anti-gay bigots to make us disappear through anti-family and anti-worker legislation.

This is not the time for us to let apathy get the best of us. If you are a public employee who receives domestic partner benefits through a union contract, your time to speak up is now.

Pride At Work urges participation in the AFL-CIO's Diversity Dialogues this summer!

If you are near Atlanta, Detroit, Philadelphia, or San Francisco this summer, please join us at the Diversity Dialogues to discuss how Labor can achieve full inclusion for all members.

On Tuesday, April 24th, in Congress, The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), was introduced.  The bill would bar discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.  Nearly twenty years in the making, labor was there in force, and we invite you to get involved into one of the most important campaigns in Pride At Work history. 

The Connecticut General Assembly Judiciary Committee voted to pass the Marriage Equality Bill, by a 27-15 vote margin. This was a stronger than expected margin, and included bipartisan support. Connecticut is now the second state in the country to have a marriage equality bill successfully pass out of committee. The bill, Raised Bill #7395 "An Act Concerning Marriage Equality", next moves to the House and Senate for votes.

FLOC opened an office in Monterrey, Mexico, next to the U.S. Consulate there in 2005, to help members coming to North Carolina as H2A workers in processing their visas, to fight corruption in the recruitment process, and to develop leaders and train members. The office has been the target of break-ins with files and equipment destroyed. On Monday April 9, staff member Santiago Rafael Cruz was found in the FLOC office bound and beaten to death.

If you're in the Big Apple in April, be sure to check out this great exhibit showcasing workers' art and perspectives ... including this poster by Pride At Work member Ranald Woodaman!

Pride At Work Co-President has a special video message for members and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community regarding the Employee Free Choice Act.  Don't know what the Employee Free Choice Act is?  Watch the video and then get the facts from our Employee Free Choice Act section of the website.

Has your union negotiated domestic partner benefits in your contract?  Have you talked to your union about being more inclusive in their negotiation practices.  How do you feel about your union when it comes to issues affect you and your family?  Help us quantify our movement by taking part in the Pride At Work Benefits Survey.  More after the jump...

Find out the news and views from yesteryear! It's our archive or relatively recent notables

Wondering where we go and what we do? What were we doing in Puerto Rico? What does PAW have to do with the NAACP? Find out more inside. . . .