Unions Are Getting More Popular. The Right Isn't Taking It Well.
I will cross post to GD.
https://newrepublic.com/article/211968/unions-culture-war-transgender-abortion
(snip)
But the thrust of the new editorial was quite different. Unions, it said, only seem like theyre about improving your working conditions; really, theyre just a front for sex-changers and baby-killers. We wonder if Republicans know what theyve voted for, opined the Journal. Unions, allied with Democrats, have long supported a progressive agenda that includes collective bargaining for abortion coverage and transgender healthcare. Those 20 Republicans who voted for the Fair Labor Contracts Act, the Journal said, are selling out their constituents to the progressive left.
The Journals Exhibit A was an Abortion Model Collective Bargaining Agreement Language recommended by the AFL-CIO. This document does indeed propose comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care services, including contraceptives, abortion services (procedural and pharmaceutical) and gender-affirming care. But the AFL-CIO is not a labor unionits a federation of labor unions that plays no role in negotiating union contracts. Thats typically the work of a union local.
Unions are democratic institutions, Steve Rosenthal, former political director of the AFL-CIO explained to me, with officials at all levels elected by members and conventions. They take positions accordingly, based on where the members are. If a contract includes health coverage for gender-affirming care or mifepristone, thats because members want these things. Any member of Congress who actively opposes such language is interfering with the terms of a private contract, which is something conservatives are supposed to hate.
More at link. Excellent article, worth the read.