Posts Categorized: Reports

A new report by the UCLA Labor Center and UFCW OUTreach highlights the important role that unions play in creating safer and more equitable workplaces for LGBTQ+ workers in the U.S. and Canada.

The report, titled Union Values and LGBTQ+ Worker Experiences: A Survey of UFCW Workers in the United States and Canada, includes a survey of 1,004 UFCW members, one-third of whom identified as LGBTQ+, in regions across the U.S. and Canada.

Three-quarters of survey participants said their local union takes concrete actions to support LGBTQ+ workers and 70 percent said LGBTQ+ workers are protected by their union contracts. In addition, 68 percent of survey participants said it should be a top priority for unions to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation on the job.

“The union has the power to address systemic inequities that affect LGBTQ+ workers by utilizing collective bargaining agreements, as well as educational training that increases awareness of the urgency to improve the workplace for LGBTQ+ members,” said UFCW OUTreach Chair Michele Kessler.

“When direct actions are taken by union leaders, workplaces are safer for LGBTQ+ members,” said Jean Tong, a union representative for UFCW Local 770. “Equally important is the thoughtful work our union has done to expand leadership opportunities for LGBTQ+ workers to participate in the decision-making process.”

While the survey respondents generally support LGBTQ+ workers’ rights and contract protections, the study also explores the ongoing on-the-job challenges LGBTQ+ workers face.

“Nearly a quarter of LGBTQ+ workers reported being harassed because of their sexual orientation or gender identity and 43 percent had heard negative comments or stereotypes in their current workplace,” said Sid Jordan, a co-author of the report and a researcher at the UCLA Labor Center. “This points to the cultural and structural changes that will be needed to give meaning to nondiscrimination policies.”

The full report is available here.

A new poll by Hart Research Associates shows that a strong majority of Americans in all parts of the country and across party lines oppose the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) proposal to weaken food safety standards by eliminating line speed limits and drastically reducing inspections at pork processing plants.

The recent USDA proposal would cut federal safety inspectors at processing plants by 40 percent and would allow the slaughter line speeds to run at any speed the company wants. Both of these changes would endanger the safety of these workers and the food millions of Americans across the country count on to feed their families every day.

According to the poll from Hart Research Associates, 64 percent of Americans “opposed the USDA’s proposal to eliminate the speed limits on pig slaughter lines.” Opposition was strong across all party lines with 69 percent of Democrats, 66 percent of Independents, and 58 percent of Republicans agreeing that speed limits should remain in place.

Poll respondents in the Midwest, where a large portion of the pork industry is based, expressed even stronger disapproval of the proposal, with 70 percent opposing the proposed changes to plant safety requirements. Additional information about the poll is available here.