June 3, 2023 - June is Pride Month, and the Utility Workers Union of  America is committed to creating a labor movement that promotes inclusion by ensuring safety and dignity for everyone on the job.

One simple thing that everyone can do to promote a culture of respect at work is to use the preferred pronouns of our union siblings. The AFL-CIO constituency group Pride at Work has created a helpful guide to De-Mystifying Gender Pronouns, 

LGBTQ+ workers become utility workers for the same reasons that so many of us are drawn to these essential industries. We all want living wages, job security, benefits, and union support. The apprenticeship model of learning can be a plus for people with diverse identities, and receiving a debt-free education is also attractive.  This episode of the Queer Money podcast, discusses some of the advantages of becoming a trade worker generally and shouts out the electrical industry as one of the more welcoming trades.

Although LGBTQ+ employment discrimination is illegal under federal law, a legally-binding union contract is still the best protection working people can have to fight employment discrimination. Having the support of a union and a collective agreement can make a huge difference and afford protections that are not available to non-union LGBTQ+ workers.

To learn more about ways unions can support LGBTQ+ workers, visit Pride At Work for sample contract language language and other resources.

In solidarity, 

The Utility Workers Union of America