P@W Backs Candidacy of Mary Beth Maxwell for Secretary of Labor

[Omaha Steve]

Pride at Work is proud to support the candidacy of Mary Beth Maxwell, Executive Director of American Rights at Work, for Secretary of Labor in the forthcoming Obama Administration.


"Mary Beth Maxwell has been a strong voice for both labor and the LGBT community in Washington for years,” said Jeremy Bishop, Executive Director of Pride at Work, the LGBT constituency group of the labor movement. “We believe that she would be an excellent choice for Secretary of Labor.”


If she is appointed to the position, Maxwell would be the first out LGBT person to serve as a federal Cabinet secretary. She has the strong support of former Representative David Bonior, a key labor adviser in the Obama campaign.


“Maxwell’s work over the years has demonstrated that building broad progressive coalitions is the best strategy for securing social justice,” said Bishop. “In the recently released film ‘Milk,’ we saw how Harvey Milk approached the Teamsters Union back in the 1970’s to work together against the anti-labor, anti-LGBT Coors empire. Milk’s style of coalition-building was successful then, and we look forward to seeing labor-LGBT community unity in support of a broad progressive agenda that leaves no one out. We need to step away from the sterile single-issue-ism that has characterized narrow identity politics in past decades.”


Under Maxwell’s leadership, American Rights at Work was one of the first labor organizations to endorse a fully inclusive version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), covering both sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.


American Rights at Work is a nonprofit advocacy organization whose mission is to support workers' rights to a free choice and a fair chance to join a union.

Maxwell was also a pioneer in bringing issues of sexual orientation and gender identity to the fore in Jobs With Justice, a national nonprofit organization that works to raise workers’ rights as part of a larger campaign for economic and social justice. Maxwell served as Jobs With Justice’s National Field Director before founding American Rights at Work.


Maxwell is among a number of new faces of the LGBT community rising to positions of influence in the labor movement and allied progressive organizations. Earlier this year, Randy Weingarten became the first open LGBT person to lead a major international union when she was elected president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Weingarten follows in the footsteps of Nancy Wohlforth, Secretary-Treasurer of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU), and Mary Kay Henry, Executive Vice President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).


Out LGBT people are also emerging as leaders of important local and regional labor groups. They include David Sanchez of the California Teachers Association (NEA), Sal Roselli of United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU), T Santora of CWA Local 9000 in Los Angeles, Wilson Maestre-Soto of AFSCME Local 704, and Lori Pelletier of the Connecticut AFL-CIO.


These leaders played a strong role in building labor support for marriage equality campaigns in Connecticut and California, as well as rally LGBT support for the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that would remove obstacles to employees who want to organize unions.


Pride at Work is delighted at the growing influence and role of LGBT people in the labor movement and allied progressive organizations.

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