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Statement of UE District 2 on Same-Sex Marriage

Statement of UE District 2 on Massachusetts Supreme Court Decision on Same-Sex Marriage and attempts to change state and federal constitutions

Adopted February 20, 2004

After the debate over and passage of Vermont's civil union law, the 2000 UE (United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America) National Convention, the highest decision-making body of our union, adopted a resolution on discrimination based on sexual orientation which began:

Throughout history, the most powerful weapon in the bosses' arsenal has been division. When we are united, working people win great victories against the most powerful corporations and governments in the world. When divided, whether by craft, sex, race, sexual orientation or in any other way, we endure great defeats and our living standards suffer. Our movement has always been strongest when we have been most inclusive, when we have taken to heart the slogan "an injury to one is an injury to all." The UE was founded on this principle. As it states in our Constitution's preamble, "we form an organization to unite all workers."

This policy has been upheld by every UE convention since.

Marriage discrimination denies families over 1400 rights, protections and responsibilities: Social security protections upon the death, disability, or retirement of a spouse, access to Family and Medical Leave protections to care for a newborn or newly adopted child or for a sick family member, and access to hundreds of other critically important employment benefits and protections available under local, state and federal laws.

Furthermore, anti-labor politicians, foremost among them George Bush, clearly intend to use this issue to divide working people in the 2004 elections, and to convince workers to vote against their own class interests.

Our union has a proud history of confronting racism, sexism, McCarthyism, and anti-immigrant prejudice in the workplace, in our communities, and in the political arena. We know from this history that silence as the boss attempts to divide us only serves to weaken the rights and power of workers.

Therefore, UE District 2 endorses the decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and urges the legislature of Massachusetts, as well as the legislatures of all states where UE District 2 has jurisdiction, to act speedily to end discrimination and give couples the rights, responsibilities, and protections of civil marriage regardless of sexual orientation.

Further, UE District 2 opposes any attempts to codify marriage discrimination at a state or federal level through legislation or amending the constitution.