Pride at Work, a group of LGBT union activists affiliated with the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations ( AFL-CIO ), on Aug. 30, issued a resolution calling on unions to stop supporting the Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ).
The resolution was nearly unanimously approved at a vote taken at Pride at Work's triennial convention in Orlando, Florida.
HRC "has catered to its big-moneyed donors at the expense of those who live on the margins," said the resolution, which calls on the LGBT-rights organization to re-think its Corporate Equality Index ( CEI ), a metric frequently referenced as a benchmark of a company's treatment of its LGBT employees. The CEI, Pride at Work maintains, only reflects a company's stated policies, not its actual practices.
The resolution specifically mentions Wal-Mart as a specific example of an organization that likely has too high a ranking from HRC. The retail giant currently holds a "90 percent" CEI, but, according to Pride at Work, gave consistent financial support to political backers of Arkansas Senate Bill 202, which put limits on discrimination protections for LGBT residents. The company did publicly speak out against the legislation, but only after the bill had been signed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
The resolution also references a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruling in February in favor of a Massachusetts Wal-Mart employee, Jacqueline Cote, who was denied spousal health insurance for her same-sex partner for several years, during which time her partner became ill and incurred enormous medical debts.
Michael Gentry, a member of Pride at Work's Chicago chapter, was present at the meeting and was one of the few members to vote against the resolution, with which he had some misgivings.
"I agree that the Corporate Equality Index has flaws that can be improved upon, but I'm just not sure how big an impact that the resolution is going to have," he said, adding that he nevertheless hoped its passage would lead to larger conversations with HRC. "As a member of Pride at Work, I personally support the work that we do."
Pride at Work Chicago Chapter President Kate Ekman said that the chapter stands behind the organization's majority decision on the resolution, noting, "I also think the CEI can be improved and if this resolution helps spur that, I am all for it. I hope that the resolution will help engage with HRC for positive and inclusive change."
Pride at Work's resolution also called on HRC to more readily consider workers' freedom to unionize and collectively bargain. It indicates that "a collective bargaining agreement is the only thing protecting LGBT workers from being fired in more than half of all states."
Information on Pride at Work Chicago is available at www.facebook.com/PrideatWorkChicago .
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