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An LGBT Labor Secretary??!!!!!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.”
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.
