Transgender Day of Visibility 2024 – The Union Effect

Transgender Day of Visibility 2024 shines a light on the resilience, achievements and presence of transgender persons worldwide. This year, we want to celebrate the pivotal role unions play in advocating for and protecting the rights and wellbeing of transgender workers across the country.

Nearly half of transgender workers have experienced discrimination at work, which is significantly higher than their non-LGBTQI+ coworkers. Despite these challenges, unions have proven to be effective in combating workplace  discrimination and making real strides towards workplace equality. Unions, through collective bargaining agreements, negotiate legally binding contracts with employers that can, among other things, contain anti-discrimination provisions and advocate for comprehensive healthcare, including gender-affirming care. This support under a CBA is not only about ensuring equal pay and protection against discrimination, but it creates an inclusive culture where every worker is valued for who they are, beyond their gender identity.

An example of organizations leading in this area is Pride at Work, a nonprofit organization and constituency group of the AFL-CIO that represents the voices of LGBTQI+ union members and their allies. With a commitment to equity, Pride at Work has been instrumental in pushing for more inclusive policies and practices within unions that ensure LGBTQI+ workers are heard and respected.

To gain a deeper understanding of how unions affect transgender individuals in the workplace, I sat down with Jerame Davis, executive director of Pride at Work, and Olivia “Liv” Yelton, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 191 and founder and co-president of the Advocacy Coalition for Transgender Siblings.

Can you share how your organizations are actively supporting transgender workers and promoting inclusivity in the workplace?

The IBEW’s International Office is encouraging diversity and inclusion, and they want to support union members. This is why the union is an active participant in Pride at Work. Pride at Work advocates for LGBTQI+ union members throughout the labor movement. Many transgender workers don’t find the same level of support in their individual local union, and many are forced to relocate or to leave the union altogether. Liv started ACTS within the IBEW, to create a safe space for trans and non-binary members to gather, communicate, organize and advocate for one another.

What challenges do transgender workers face in the workplace, and how can unions help address these issues?

Safety is the biggest issue. Being able to know that you can trust your coworkers to look out for you and to ensure that you’re safe from anyone who is on a jobsite or at a meeting. Transgender people are frequently the targets of discrimination, harassment and assault. We need higher standards for how our members treat one another, and better education given to all members, not just apprentices, on LGBTQI+ people and their struggles and needs.

How do your organizations educate its members about transgender issues and rights?

Many unions don’t educate their members on these issues outside of general harassment and discrimination training. That’s why organizations like Pride at Work and ACTS are so important and integral to the labor movement. We help do this education, but we also push unions to do more for their trans and non-binary siblings.

Could you share a success story resulting from union support for transgender workers?

By organizing our transgender siblings in IBEW Local 332 in San Jose, California, we were able to help them contact their health trust and quickly get approved gender-affirming care in their local union’s health plan coverage. Those members can now receive the healthcare they need and deserve. For myself [Liv], being strongly supported by my local union has enabled me to attend several conferences and conventions where I often share my personal story. It has also allowed me to join Pride at Work’s National Executive Board and to actively participate in my local union. They are happy to have a young and enthusiastic member, and I say yes to nearly every opportunity that is offered to me.

Join us in commemorating TDOV 2024 by better understanding how unions can provide pathways to safer and more inclusive jobs.

Andrew Hasty is a policy and law advisor with the Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards.