A salute to LGBT workers and the unions that protect them
Compiled by Dallas Voice Editorial Staff
nash@dallasvoice.com
On the first Monday in every September, the U.S. celebrates “Labor Day” as a national holiday. But do you really know where Labor Day came from?
According to the U.S. Department of Labor website, it is “a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country.”
The first celebration of Labor Day, though, came in 1882, when New York’s Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic, which were held Sept. 5 that year. In June 1894, Congress passed legislation establishing the first Monday each September as a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.
There is no doubt that LGBT men and women have always been among those workers who have, through the years, contributed to the “strength, prosperity and well-being of our country.” But they have often had to do so while staying quiet about their identity as LGBT people, since in many places — including Texas — there is no law protecting workers from discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
According to the Williams Institute, a think tank associated with the UCLA School of Law that studies LGBT issues, 15 percent to 43 percent of LGBT workers have been fired, denied promotions and/or harassed because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The institute reports that 90 percent of transgender workers report facing some kind of harassment or discrimination at work.
The Human Rights Campaign reports that 21 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws prohibiting employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, and 18 states and the District of Columbia also prohibit discrimination based on gender identity. And, HRC adds, “hundreds of companies” have policies in place to protect their LGBT employees.
And in June, President Barack Obama signed executive orders banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity for federal employees and employees of private companies that have federal contracts.
But there is still no federal law protecting LGBT workers, even though the Employment Non-Discrimination Act — ENDA — was first introduced in Congress in 1994.
Without federal protections, the labor unions are often LGBT workers’ main — or only — line of defense against discrimination in the workplace. So with that in mind, Dallas Voice celebrates this Labor Day by profiling some local LGBT workers and their unions.
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Name: Felipe Gutierrez
Job: Customer Service Tech
Union: Communication Workers of America
How long have you been a union member? 15.5 years. 16 years in December.
Why did you join a union? I was offered a union card on my first
day of work at AT&T. When my boss offered it to me, he joked that I should take it and never let him know when I’m in trouble. It’s been a great relationship since.
How does your union protect you as an LGBT worker? It’s already an inclusive union that advocates for each of us. I’ve benefited because they fight for all of us. The CWA’s constitution has very specific language stating it will bargain fairly for LGBT employees, including for trans healthcare.
Name: Gloria Delgadillo
Job: Texas AFT organizer & Dallas young worker coordinatorfor AFL-CIO
Union: American Federation of Teachers
How long have you been a union member? I have been an organizer for AFT for one year and have been working to develop and organize a community of young workers, union and non-union, in the Dallas area for about five months.
Why did you join a union? It is all about solidarity and finding a community whose struggles are similar to mine. More specifically to the Dallas Young Workers organization, I am aware that there is low union density in Texas, however the potential is grand and if we are going to build such a community that fights for labor, it was understood that we needed to make it inclusive and a safe space for all workers.
How does your union protect you as an LGBT worker? The Dallas Young Worker program actively works to invite and welcome LGBTQ workers by making it clear in our mission statement what we stand for. AFT is also very conscientious of queer families and couples. For example, my partner can be ensured through my employer even if we are not married. It is important to know that every local is different — it is the responsibility of every union member to be familiar with their contract and know their anti-discrimination policy. If sexual orientation and/or gender identity is not included, you should talk to your union leadership or bargaining committee about including that language in the contract. Union contracts can protect you more than state laws.
Name: Justin Hammer
Job: Flight attendant
Union: Association of Professional Flight Attendants
How long have you been a union member? 15 months.
Why did you join a union? It’s a requirement.
How does your union protect you as an LGBT worker? Our contract protects us from sexual harassment and verbal abuse by a co-worker or management. Benefits are all there. If we have a partner, they can travel for free. If we’re married, we can share that benefit as well.
Name: Mike Lo Vuolo
Job: Union organizer
Union: Communication Workers of America
How long have you been a union member? 17 years.
Why did you join a union? I started out trying to get a union at American Airlines as an employee and left and went to work for the union.
How does your union protect you as an LGBT worker? The union secured benefits for domestic partners. In our airline contracts, that includes travel benefits. In other contracts, it’s mostly insurance.
Federal law protects workers based on age, race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age or disability. LGBT folks could be fired with no protections. In our union contracts we negotiated to add sexual orientation and gender identity. Until ENDA makes it a federal protection, our employees are protected under union contract. Also, we lobby in Washington and on the state level to protect LGBT employees. That’s part of the work I do.
Name: Marian Licce
Job: Fleet service clerk
Union: American Airlines Fleet Service TWU local 513
How long have you been a union member? 26 years.
Why did you join the union? No choice. All Fleet Service clerks have to join. But I would have joined anyway.
How does the union protect you/your rights as an LGBT person? The union is very fair at representing all members the same. They treat each case and/or members one case at a time. They are very good at protecting LGBT workers from harassment. We had a transgender going from male to female and they made it possible for her to use the female restrooms and locker room. No problem with them in this matter.
Name: Lisa Stinson
Job: Flight attendant
Union: Communication Workers of America
How long have you been a union member? Hoping to join. We weren’t part of the union but will vote to join with the merger [of American Airlines and US Airways]
Why did you join a union? I have complications with my domestic partner benefits that I hope union membership will solve.
How does your union protect you as an LGBT worker? I want to have the job security that the union offers.
Name: Elias Cantu Jr.
Job: State of Texas/university employee
Union: Texas State Employees Union
How long have you been a union member? Eight years.
Why did you join a union? I joined the union because it protects our benefits, such as our retirement pension plan, quality health care plan, and fair pay for state and university employees.
How does your union protect you as an LGBT worker? TSEU protects me by including on the job justice for LGBT workers in both their organizing and political programs. They also proudly stand opposed to everything that can potentially divide state employees, including homophobia. In the last two legislative sessions they also fought for state workers to have domestic partner benefits.
Name: Jocelyn Nickle
Job: Aircraft maintenance technician
Union: Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association
How long have you been a union member? Since 1997.
Why did you join a union? It’s a requirement.
How does your union protect you as an LGBT worker? When I came out as a trans person, I talked with some union folks. The union approached me and said if there were any issues, they’d handle them in house — meaning at a union level, rather than taking it to the company.
Some co-workers began asking a friend the pronoun questions, because they were worried about offending me. The union protects everyone the same, so they made sure there was no more confusion.
The union was concerned with protecting me, and bent over backwards to do things for me.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition August 29, 2014.
