Toronto – October 14, 2020 – In honour of National Coming Out Day, UFCW OUTreach, in collaboration with UCLA Labor Center, has released a first-ever report on the rights of LGBQITNB persons at work. The study surveyed 1,004 UFCW members across the United States and Canada regarding their workplace rights.

Three quarters of survey participants said their Local Union takes concrete actions to support LGBTQ workers and 70% said LGBTQ workers are protected by their UFCW contracts. Furthermore, one third of survey responses came from Canada.

“As the COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased worker precarity in all economic sectors, union contracts are vital to ensuring that respect, dignity and fairness remain central at work”, says UFCW Canada National President Paul Meinema.

The OUTreach-UCLA report offers a timely analysis of the labour movement’s role in working to end systemic and institutional inequities at work. Amongst the four main recommendations to improve the workplace experience of LGBTQ workers, the report features the development of proactive union agendas and policies that recognize and protect the rights and identities of LGBTQ workers. The report also calls for the creation of union spaces and affiliated community centres where LGBTQ workers can work with allies to eradicate workplace violence, discrimination and harassment.

Check out the new report: Union values and LGBTQ+ worker experiences: a survey of UFCW workers in the United States and Canada

Get involved with UFCW OUTreach

Find out more about UFCW Canada’s work on LGBTQI2S rights