A same-sex marriage bill failed by a narrow margin in Maryland last year, but the fight for equality hasn't ended in the state. Now, unions are getting involved. In the video
above:
“At 1199 SEIU, we support working families, not just certain families,” Ezekiel Jackson, an organizer for health-care workers in Maryland and the District, says in the video, in which he dons a Baltimore Orioles baseball cap. “That’s why bringing marriage equality to Maryland is important. It’s about making all families, including committed gay and lesbian couples, and their kids, stronger.”
That's part of a broader push by unions:
Nationally, SEIU has been on record supporting marriage rights for gay couples since 2004. The service workers union was heavily involved in New York last year when that state passed a same-sex marriage bill.
In Maryland, labor leaders are hoping to build upon that momentum with a broader coalition. At a November convention, the AFL-CIO affiliates unanimously passed a resolution supporting passage of legislation that [Gov. Martin] O’Malley has pledged to sponsor this year.
Unions plan to mobilize members to take action supporting the bill, including lobbying their representatives, and at a rally focused in part on marriage. Leaders say they will also consider how legislators vote on this issue in making endorsement decisions.
(Via Pam Spaulding)