For Immediate Release
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
It Is Time to Pass ENDA
Statement of AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee On the Employment Non-Discrimination Act
Throughout our long history, Americans have fought to break down the barriers that deny opportunity and equality to our fellow citizens, and to make the promise of America a reality for all. Through civil rights legislation and constitutional amendments, we have worked to ensure that equal justice under law would be a standard for all who work and live in the United States. The passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) will write a new and important chapter in this proud story.
Discrimination in the workplace on the basis of race, religion, disability or sexual orientation has no place in the United States. Yet, discrimination exists. Today, throughout our country, millions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans face discrimination without the protections of federal law. In more than 30 states, competent and qualified workers can be fired simply because of their sexual orientation. That is wrong. That is un-American. An employee’s performance at work should determine employment – not characteristics which have no bearing on one’s ability to do the job.
Congress now has an opportunity to right this wrong. Immediate enactment of ENDA will send a clear message that the American Dream belongs to all of us. It will provide needed protection for millions of our fellow citizens who face unjustified discrimination on the job. It is time to pass ENDA. It is the right thing to do.
