New UFCW Local 663 member Mark McGraw of Linden Hills Co-op recently received one of five prestigious nationwide UFCW OUTreach scholarships to attend the Creating Change Conference in Washington D.C. this January. Congratulations!
Mark is thoughtful, inclusive, and fearless in his organizing. His humor and ability to speak the truth helped advance conversations with fellow bargaining committee members and co-workers in store more than once throughout the organizing and bargaining. He took the time to talk to every co-worker about wanting to represent them at the bargaining table and asked for their vote – he ended up with the most votes.
The Creating Change Conference is organized by the National LGBTQ Task Force and it is the foremost political, leadership and skills-building conference for thousands of committed people to develop and hone their skills and share victories. In the past two years, the OUTreach Executive Board members have participated as one of the leading workshop presenters, putting our union, UFCW, in the forefront as a key voice for working class and labor issues at this conference. In a time where the labor movement and everything we have fought for is under attack, OUTreach’s dedication to organizing social and economic justice for all workers and ensuring full equality of LGBTQ workers at work and in their union reflects our union’s commitment to building a resilient working class that is not divided by hate.
UFCW OUTreach is a constituency group dedicated to building mutual support between our union’s International, regions, and locals and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community and their allies in order to come together to organize for social and economic justice for all, regardless of age, race, gender, creed, color, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Together, they will ensure full equality for LGBT workers on their jobs and in their unions.