Labor Unions Side with Same-Sex Marriage

by Michael Jones · 2009-01-13 12:11:00 UTC
Topics:

No on 8More than 50 California Labor organizations today filed an amicus curiae brief with the California State Supreme Court, calling for the Court to overturn Proposition 8. These Labor organizations join a host of civil rights organizations, and California Attorney General Jerry Brown, in calling for the Proposition to be overruled.

The Court right now is expected to hear arguments over Proposition 8 in March, though groups have until the end of January to submit legal briefs. Rick Jacobs of the Courage Campaign, one of the lead organizations building a grassroots network of marriage equality advocates in California, said that with the addition of organized labor to the mix of voices calling for equal marriage rights, the most powerful political force in California has now spoken out on this issue.

Organized labor is the most powerful single political force in California. That the labor movement, representing more than two million Californians, is on record with the Supreme Court favoring equality for all underscores the importance of justice being done.

The unions represented in the brief include the United Healthcare Workers, the Screen Actors Guild, UNITE Here, the SEIU California State Council, and the California Labor Federation, to name a few.  (View the complete list after the jump.)

As Sal Rosselli, president of the United Healthcare Workers, put it: "There are fundamental constitutional rights that cannot be abolished by ballot initiative."  Let's hope the California Supreme Court hears and listens to those very words.

List of Labor organizations joining the amicus brief in support of overturning Proposition 8:

California Labor Federation
National Federation of Federal Employees
Screen Actors Guild
UNITE HERE!
Alameda Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Fresno-Madera-Tulare-Kings Counties Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
Sacramento Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO
San Mateo County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO
San Francisco Labor Council, AFL-CIO
South Bay Labor Council, AFL-CIO
California Federation of Teachers, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO
California Faculty Association
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, District Council 57, AFL-CIO
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Local 2019, AFL-CIO
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Local 2428, AFL-CIO
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Local 3299, AFL-CIO
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Local 3916, AFL-CIO
American Federation of Teachers, Local 6119,Compton Council of Classified Employees
American Federation of Teachers, Local 6157, San Jose/Evergreen Faculty Association, AFL-CIO
El Camino College Federation of Teachers, Local 1388, California Federation of Teachers, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO
United Educators of San Francisco, AFT/CFT Local 61, AFL-CIO, NEA/CTA
University Council-American Federation of Teachers
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, Council 97
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, Council 99
Communications Workers of America District 9, AFL-CIO
Communications Workers of America, Local 9000, AFL-CIO
Communications Workers of America, Local 9503, AFL-CIO
Communications Workers of America, Local 9505, AFL-CIO
Communications Workers of America, Local 9421, AFL-CIO
Communications Workers of America, Local 9575, AFL-CIO
District Council of Ironworkers of the State of California and Vicinity
Jewish Labor Committee Western Region
Maintenance Cooperation Trust Fund
National Federation of Federal Employees, Local 1450
Operative Plasterers' and Cement Masons' Local 300, AFL-CIO
Operative Plasterers' and Cement Masons' Local 400, AFL-CIO
Pride at Work, AFL-CIO
SEIU California State Council
SEIU Local 521
SEIU Local 721
SEIU Local 1000
SEIU Local 1021
SEIU Local 1877
SEIU United Healthcare Workers West
Teamsters Joint Council 7, International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Teamsters Local 853, International Brotherhood of Teamsters
United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 5
UNITE HERE Local 19
United Steelworkers, Local 5, Martinez, Ca.
University Professional and Technical Employees, Communications Workers of America, Local 9119, AFL-CIO

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
PREVIOUS STORY:
Maine Moves Forward on Marriage Equality
NEXT STORY:
Bullied high schooler convinces MPAA to change ‘Bully’ rating to “PG-13”

COMMENTS (1)

    Comment Policy

    · All fields are required to comment.

    [X]

    Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the campaign on Change.org. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments which, as determined solely in our discretion: (1) are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; (2) include content solely intended to personally attack the campaign creator, (3) are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them; and/or (4) violate our terms of service and/or privacy policy. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion. Please also be advised that: (A) we do not actively curate and/or monitor in any manner whatsoever the comments made on the Change.org platform, and (B) the creator of each campaign on Change.org may remove any comment at her/his/its discretion.