New $500K Plan Recruits LGBTQ+ Workers For Unions Jobs: PH Elected

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — Council member Crystal Hudson announced Friday a $500,000 initiative to help get more LGBTQIA+ workers at unionized positions, according to the lawmaker's office.

The initiative will help fund recruitment efforts at nonprofits and city agencies with the aim to get more LGBTQIA+ employed at union jobs. Funding will also prepare workers for jobs across different sectors — like building trades, pre-apprenticeships, civil service and certification exams — and provide support on the job, Hudson's office said in a release.

Hudson, a co-chair of the city council's LGBTQIA+ caucus, said in her press release that the "council's Pride at Work initiative is the first fund of its kind in the county."

"Union membership offers a path to quality, high-paying jobs that strengthen out communities and safeguard members from poor working conditions," Hudson said, adding that LGBTQIA+ workers have "faced rampant discrimination in the workplace and also while searching for jobs."

Hudson's office says that the initiative was jumpstarted by Pride at Work, AFL-CIO's LGBTQ+ affinity group, as well as a slew of other unions, including the Ironworkers Union and the National Education Association.

Local unions, including DC37, SEIU 1199, the New York City District Council of Carpenters and the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys also supported the effort.

The Pride at Work initiative plans to partner with groups for their recruitment efforts, including Destination Tomorrow, Nontraditional Employment for Women, Pathways 2 Apprenticeship, Brooklyn Workforce Innovations and Mount Sinai Health System.