Nancy Wohlforth

Last updated
Nancy Wohlforth
Nationality American
Alma mater Columbia University
OccupationTrade unionist
Organizations
Known forLabor and LGBTQ activism; first out LGBTQ international union officer; first out LGBTQ member of the AFL–CIO Executive Council
Movement
Board member of
  • Vice-President OPEIU, Local 3, (Elected in 1983) [2]
  • Secretary-Treasurer and Business Manager, OPEIU, Local 3 (Elected in 1986) [3]
  • Co-President, Pride at Work, 1996–2009
  • Secretary-Treasurer Emerita, OPEIU, 2003–2009 [2]
  • Executive Council, AFL–CIO
AwardsPride at Work Solidarity Award, 2018

Nancy Wohlforth was an American union leader and activist who advocated for a variety of civil, labor, and LGBTQ causes throughout her career including single-payer healthcare, domestic partner worker benefits, and non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ workers. She was the first out member of the LGBTQ community to be elected to the AFL–CIO Executive Council in 2005. [4]

Contents

Career

Early career with OPEIU Local 3

In 1980, Wohlforth helped found the Lesbian and Gay Labor Alliance (LGLA). [5] She was also active with Office and Professional Employees International Union, Local 3 in San Francisco, California. Wohforth was a member of "A Growing Concern," a caucus within Local 3 seeking to reform the organization and draw attention to women's and gay issues after a 19 week-long strike at Blue Shield failed. In 1983, she was elected to be Local 3's Vice-President as a part of "A Growing Concern's" first slate of candidates. Wohlforth later took on Business Manager responsibilities for the union and was elected to be their Secretary-Treasurer in 1986. [2] As an out lesbian, Wohlforth faced rumors that she was in relationships with straight colleagues; however, her reputation as an out lesbian gave her credibility with LGBTQ workers and helped her win over local shops including the Episcopal Community Service, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, the Information Store, and Hospitality House. [3]

Creation of Pride at Work

On June 24, 1994, LGBT labor leaders met in New York for "Pride at Work, the Founding Conference of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Transgender People in the Labor Movement" meeting. The meeting was partially in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Wohlforth, representing LGLA and OPEIU, co-chaired a group working to create an organization uniting the different LGBT, labor organizations into a single organization, Pride at Work. [6] Nancy was elected to the position of co-president with Cal Noyce in 1996, and Pride at Work adopted a resolution in support of affiliation with the AFL–CIO as an official constituency group at the same conference in San Francisco. They went on to secure constituency status in 1997. [7]

National leadership

In 2003, Wohlforth was elected as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) making her the first open member of the LGBTQ community to hold an international union officer position. A couple years later, she was elected to the AFL–CIO Executive Council in 2005, making her the first open LGBTQ person elected to the Executive Council. [8] [9]

Death

Wohlforth died on December 31, 2024. [10]

Awards

Writing

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References

  1. ↑ "Advisory Board and Steering Committee". Labor Campaign For Single Payer. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Nancy Wohlforth - A Tribute. 2010. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  3. 1 2 Frank, Miriam (June 13, 2014). A Labor History of Queer America. Temple University Press. pp. 146–148. ISBN   9781439911396.
  4. ↑ Styrsky, Stefen (September 21, 2005). "Lesbian Assumes a Top AFL-CIO Role". Gay City News . Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  5. ↑ Heath, Terrance (September 19, 2018). "Meet the woman who quietly made sure Democrats became LGBTQ friendly". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Program for the Pride At Work "Founding Conference Of The Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, And Transgender People In The Labor Movement," June 24, 1994" (June 24, 1994) [Textual Record]. Labor in America Collection, Fonds: Pride at Work Records, Box: 4, p. 2. College Park, MD: Special Collections and University Archives, University of Maryland Libraries.
  7. ↑ Hunt, Gerald (1999). Laboring for Rights. Temple University Press. pp. 79–80. ISBN   9781439901175.
  8. ↑ Yates, Michael (May 1, 2009). Why Unions Matter. NYU Press. p. 163. ISBN   9781583671917.
  9. ↑ "Pride At Work co-president elected to AFL-CIO Executive Council". Between the Lines . Livonia, Michigan. August 18, 2005. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  10. ↑ "OPEIU Celebrates the Life of Former Secretary-Treasurer Nancy Wohlforth". opeiu.org. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  11. ↑ "Our Best and Brightest Activists—Society: Nancy Wohlforth". The Advocate. Liberation Publications. August 17, 1999. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  12. ↑ "2018 Pride at Work Convention August 23-25, 2018 Convention Program" (PDF). August 23–25, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
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