One of our commenters suggested I open up a thread on diversity. Okay, let’s do it. I’ve reprinted the speech given by Edgar Romney, who is now the Change To Win secretary-treasurer–the first African American to hold such a post in a U.S. labor federation (he’s also a vice president of UNITE HERE). In addition, Anna Burger, CTW’s chair, is the first woman to lead a U.S. federation.

I’d also like to inject another issue on diversity, which I’ve raised many times before: age. Seniority is a principle that has its strong hold on the labor movement’s leadership. You rarely get to positions of power and influence nationally before your 40s–and that’s usually an extraordinary situation–though local presidents can sometimes be younger. I had suggested to both the AFL-CIO and CTW that they make room on their respective executive boards for at least one or two people under the age of 30. If unions want to recruit young people, they could use a little guidance from those very young people. Eh, no one is listening yet.

Here are Romney’s remarks:

“Diversity. It is one of those words that means different things to different people. To some people in government and the corporate world and I’m sorry to say even in the labor movement “diversity” is a word that is a pretty close cousin to “tokenism.”

When they say “diversity,” what they mean is, let’s keep things the way they are. Let’s keep power for the powerful and poverty for the powerless. But let’s cover it over by having a few black or brown faces or women in the photo.

After 40 years in this movement I am so proud to be part of an alliance that is standing up for a very different vision of diversity. When we say diversity we’re talking about uniting millions more working people-people of color, immigrants, working women, people with disabilities, gay or straight–so we’ll all be stronger in our fight for justice.

Yes we must ensure that our leadership at all levels reflects the diversity of todays workforce. That is essential to our future but that’s just the first step.

Diversity must not be a catchword for making room at the top of a dying movement. Real diversity means drawing on the strength and participation of all working people from the workplace to the union hall to community organizations to the halls of power in our society.

Real diversity means that unions become an essential and valued part of every community in this country.

Real diversity means that when corporate backed politicians divide and distract with attacks on the rights of some of us we all stand up and call them out for the cynical and unprincipled S.O.B.’s that they really are.

The leadership council of Change to Win is recommending to this founding convention a resolution on diversity.

It commits our unions to mount the largest and most effective organizing program in generations that will help raise standards for millions of families and their communities and ensure that our movement reflects today’s workforce.

It commits us to establish standards, timetables, and accountability measures to ensure that the diversity of our membership is reflected in membership participation, elected leadership, staff, training opportunities, event speakers, conventions and other decision-making bodies.
In addition it reaffirms our commitment to defend the rights of immigrant workers to join a union and be protected on the job.”