Opinion: Why a labor union supports gay-marriage rights

[Omaha Steve]

I have always supported Pride at Work: http://prideatwork.org/page.php?id=5



http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_10875541

By Courtni Sunjoo Pugh

Special to the Mercury News
Article Launched: 11/01/2008 08:00:00 PM PDT

Over the last several weeks since SEIU's California state council leadership voted to contribute money to the No on 8 campaign, I've been asked by quite a few people why a labor union would get involved in the "culture war" over marriage rights for same-sex couples.

There are two underlying premises to this question: first, that unions should focus solely on "bread-and-butter" workplace issues such as health care, retirement, benefits, and wages — and, second, that marriage equality is unrelated to these issues.

Wrong on both counts.

First, marriage equality is an essential component of basic dignity and human rights for thousands of SEIU members and their families. Second, marriage is a bread-and-butter issue.

As a movement, labor learned a long time ago that we had to unite across our differences — ethnic, cultural, personal, religious — and support a vision of equality and respect for all, not just in the workplace, but in every sphere of life. We understand that where we don't have equality, we have discrimination and discrimination allows us to be divided and conquered. That's why we are committed to justice for all and equality for all.

It was a struggle to learn that lesson. Many union members felt threatened and resisted changes that labor made as it came to support the civil rights movement for racial equality, led by luminaries such as A. Phillip Randolph. But, ultimately, union members came to the realization that letting ourselves remain divided by race was holding us back.

FULL story at link.