Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy posed for a photo during the 2016 Ashley Rukes GLBT Pride Parade in Minneapolis.
Union families put their pride on display yesterday at the Ashley Rukes GLBT Pride Parade in downtown Minneapolis.
The Minnesota AFL-CIO has organized a contingent in the annual parade, part of the Twin Cities Pride Festival, for years. Turnout was particularly strong this year in the wake of the June 12 mass shooting inside a gay nightclub in Orlando.
Unions represented in the Minnesota AFL-CIO unit included Education Minnesota, AFSCME Council 5, the Minnesota Newspaper and Communications Guild, CWA Local 7250, IATSE Local 13 and the Minnesota Nurses Association, whose members drew loud cheers from spectators a day after the weeklong strike at five Allina Health facilities ended.
Several national unions banded together in the days following the June 12 shooting to provide support and resources to the Orlando community.
The American Federation of Teachers, the Service Employees, AFSCME and the National Education Association coordinated efforts to offer counseling to union members and their families who were affected by the shooting, assemble resources for parents and teachers to help children understand the news and point supporters toward blood donation and targeted fundraising efforts.
Teachers and parents can find resources for talking to kids about the Orlando attack at the AFT’s website www.sharemylesson.com/orlando. And visit www.nea.org/orlando to find resources and opportunities to support the victims of the Orlando attack.
Union Advocate 