LGBTQ GROUP OF UNION MEMBERS, ALLIES ADVOCATES FOR WORKING PEOPLE
The Texas AFL-CIO is proud to announce the election of officers in the state’s first Pride at Work organization, a labor constituency group that advocates for working people from the perspective of the LGBTQ community.
Officers of the Texas Pride at Work chapter are: Thom McDaniel (Transport Workers Union), Chair; Dannie Silcox (AFSCME), Co-Chair; Austin Eldridge (FOL), Secretary; and Rich Bailey (AFSCME), Treasurer.
Charter members of the organization include representatives of the American Federation of Teachers, Transport Workers, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, American Federation of Government Employees, International Association of Stage Employees, Communications Workers, and Office and Professional Employees. Texas AFL-CIO officers and staff have also joined.
McDaniel said Texas Pride at Work will move soon to adopt by-laws and launch advocacy programs.
“The body has quickly moved into action to advocate against SB 6 (the so-called ‘bathroom bill’),” McDaniel said. “All Texans should be treated with dignity and respect and SB 6 is far from the image we expect for Texans.”
Texas AFL-CIO President John Patrick said Pride at Work is open to the LGBTQ community and to allies.
“The Texas AFL-CIO constituency groups reinforce the voices of working people who speak up together for a better workplace environment in our state,” Patrick said. “The state labor federation supports justice for all working people in Texas. We welcome Pride at Work, which has formed at a crucial moment for the LGBTQ community in Texas, and we look forward to working together on labor-related issues.”
Labor constituency groups advocate for communities of working people. Other constituency groups of the Texas AFL-CIO include: the A. Philip Randolph Institute, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Coalition of Labor Union Women and Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. Another allied group, the Texas Alliance for Retired Americans, represents seniors.
The Texas AFL-CIO is a state labor federation consisting of 237,000 affiliated union members who advocate for working families in Texas.