Love wins! Union members join celebration at Twin Cities Pride Parade

June 29, 2015 by
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Joanne Hager and her daughter Amelia march in the Pride Parade along Hennepin Avenue.

 

Union members joined the party at the Ashley Rukes GLBT Pride Parade in Minneapolis yesterday, cheering the Supreme Court’s historic decision making marriage equality the law of the land.

“We’re always fighting; it feels good to be celebrating for a change,” Charli Haataja, a member of Local 7250 of the Communications Workers of America, said.

Haataja was among more than 50 people who marched in the parade behind the Minnesota AFL-CIO’s banner. [Click here to view photos of the marching unit on Facebook.] The labor federation has maintained a presence in the parade for years, and Minnesota unions – and unions across the country – have been staunch allies in fight for LGBT rights.

web.Pride15-gjertson“We want to show our solidarity with other workers no matter if they’re gay, straight, transgender – it doesn’t matter,” CWA Local 7250 member Alaric Poseley-Hatton said. “We fight for equality in the workplace, and it’s great to have equality in marriage too.”

In a 5-4 decision released Friday, the Supreme Court found states that deny same-sex couples the right to marry are in violation of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees all citizens equal protection of the laws. The ruling extends marriage rights to same-sex couples in all 50 states.

July 1 will mark the two-year anniversary of marriage equality in Minnesota, where lawmakers moved swiftly to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples after the state’s voters rejected a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in November 2012. Minnesota unions and labor organizations, including the Minnesota AFL-CIO, joined the coalition of groups fighting for marriage equality.

The Supreme Court ruling means same-sex couples wed in Minnesota will maintain their married status no matter where in the U.S. they go. Liz Shuler, secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, called it “a win for children, families, workers and our entire country.”

web.Pride15-groupBut union members at the Pride Parade said the fight for equality is far from over.

LGBT workers’ rights, in particular, need strengthening, as most states do not have laws protecting all workers from discrimination on the job as a result of sexual orientation. Jerame Davis, director of the labor-backed advocacy group Pride at Work, said there remains a “very real possibility that a worker could marry the person they love on Saturday and then get fired from their job Monday morning when they show pictures around the water cooler.”

“There’s still a fight out there,” Claire Zupatz, a member of the Twin Cities Musicians Union, said. “If you can do the job, you should be able to go and do the work and not be afraid of being fired because of your lifestyle.”

Collective bargaining agreements, of course, provide protection from employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, but union contracts cover only a fraction of the private-sector workforce.

LGBT workers also face more subtle forms of discrimination in the workplace – union and non-union alike, Laborers Local 563 member Joanne Hager said.

“In the construction trades, it’s sometimes difficult to be open about who you are,” Hager said. “There is some homophobia in our industry, as in all industries.

“We’re in need of more workers in our industry, and we need to make sure these jobs are inclusive of everyone who wants to work to support their families.”

Hager and her 13-year-old daughter, Amelia, marched in the Pride Parade wearing hardhats and carrying a homemade banner that proclaimed, “Building MN with Quality and PRIDE!”

“People should be equally treated and not discriminated against because of who they love,” Amelia Hager said.

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Teachers will make anti-bullying law a priority at Capitol next year

December 6, 2013 by

i_heart_safe_schools_cta_bannerAs the 2013 Legislative Session drew to a close in May, supporters of a bill to strengthen Minnesota’s anti-bullying laws made one last push, urging their state senators to vote on the Safe and Supportive Schools Act, which had already won approval in the House.

The session gaveled to a close before senators could take that vote, but members of Education Minnesota, the statewide educators’ union, will help kick off a campaign next week to make sure the anti-bullying bill gets a vote in 2014.

Education Minnesota President Denise Specht said members have been vocal in support of efforts to prevent bullying in schools, prompting union leaders to declare the bill, which would give Minnesota the nation’s strongest anti-bullying laws, a top priority for the upcoming session.

“Our members know that in order for students to do well, we need safe and welcoming schools,” Specht said. “We’re stepping up our efforts to make sure the bill passes and gets over the finish line.”

That effort kicks off Sunday afternoon with a “call to action” at Minneapolis South High School, where students, parents, educators and community members will unite in support of the Safe and Supportive Schools Act. [Click here to view the event page on Facebook.]

On Monday, a national day of action in support of public education, Education Minnesota will co-host a press conference and rally in support of the anti-bullying bill at St. Paul Central High School. [Click here to view the event page on Facebook.]

Having teachers play a visible role in efforts to pass the Safe and Supportive Schools Act is critical, OutFront Minnesota Executive Director Monica Meyer said. Her organization gathered a coalition of supporters to push for new anti-bullying laws in 2009, and it has since attracted more than 100 member organizations, including Education Minnesota and the St. Paul Federation of Teachers.

“Teachers are looking at how to be proactive in addressing the bullying they are seeing, and how to create an environment in the schools that will help all students thrive,” Meyer said.

In a 2010 survey of Minnesota students, 13 percent reported that they were bullied at least monthly. A 2011 report from the U.S. Department of Education rated Minnesota’s anti-bullying law the weakest in the nation.

But parents and teachers don’t need statistics to know bullying is a problem.

“We know anecdotally, and we hear stories everyday from students and parents and teachers who see firsthand the bullying that exists,” Meyer said. “There’s a real hunger out there from Minnesotans to have the Legislature pass something that’s proactive about making our schools safe.”

Supporters say the Safe and Supportive Schools Act, co-authored by Sen. Scott Dibble and Rep. Jim Davnie, would replace the weakest anti-bullying law in the country with the strongest.

Instead of leaving bullying policy up to individual school districts, the bill would establish uniform policies in accordance with the Minnesota Human Rights Act. Doing so would protect all students, Meyer said, from discrimination or harassment “on the basis of anything from race, ethnicity or disability to immigration status, sexual orientation, gender identity or religious beliefs.”

“It’s a comprehensive policy,” Meyer added. “You really know that a lot of students can see themselves in it. We want to make sure they know that they are protected.”

The bill also would provide training opportunities, a key provision for educators.

“It speaks to training and resources for school staff, students and volunteers around bullying prevention and intervention,” she said.

Teachers plan to echo events in the metro Sunday and Monday across Greater Minnesota, Specht added. Education Minnesota members will be circulating petitions and having conversations with their school board members and lawmakers before the Legislature reconvenes Feb. 25.

“We’re going to show lawmakers how broad based the support is for passing this legislation,” Meyer said.

[Click here to sign a petition showing your support for safe schools!]

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