➤ AG V. NRA, from p.6
Joshua Powell, LaPierre’s former
chief of staff; John Frazer, the
general counsel; and Ackerman
McQueen, the group’s former PR
fi rm.
The attorney general charged
that LaPierre has spent millions
in NRA funds for private vacation
travel and gifts for friends, secured
a post-employment contract for
himself valued at $17 million without
board approval, and steered
millions in contracts to former employees
and board members.
Phillips is charged with arranging
contracts for a girlfriend and
for himself totaling nearly $3 million
and failing in his fi duciary
obligations to the organization.
James alleged that Powell engaged
in a variety of actions that misappropriated
NRA funds. Frazer is
charged with failing to provide the
group with appropriate legal oversight
and certifying false annual
statements. James charged that
Ackerman McQueen, over a period
of decades, covered non-contractual
expenses for LaPierre and
➤ POLAND, from p.6
nounce the rise of anti LGBT violence.
That is their responsibility.”
He added, “We call on European
Union, the United Nations and the
global LGBT community to respond
to the violation of human rights.”
The re-election victory of President
Andrzej Duda over Warsaw
Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski drew
distinctions on LGBTQ rights,
with Duda perpetuating themes
of homophobia and serving as
the champion of more conservative
anti-LGBTQ voters in the
overwhelmingly Catholic nation.
Trzaskowski was hailed for his efforts
to bring LGBTQ education to
his city but boasted a mixed record
on queer rights overall. Like Duda,
Trzaskowski opposed allowing LGBTQ
couples to adopt children.
Ahead of last month’s election,
Fay wrote to the Consulate General
of Poland in New York denouncing
the Polish president for scapegoating
the queer community and
for the establishment of LGBT-free
zones.
During his speech at the consulate,
Fay read a note he received
from Anna Grodska, a transgender
other executives and passed those
expenditures, without providing
details, on to the organization. The
PR fi rm, the suit alleged, was paid
more than $70 million to cover fees
and “out-of-pocket expenditures”
in 2017 and 2018.
James, who began her investigation
of the NRA in February 2019,
fi led her suit in State Supreme
Court in Manhattan.
In one of its most colorful recent
protests, GAG traveled to Washington
last December to protest
the Republican Senate’s refusal
to take up two background check
measures passed earlier by the
Democratic-controlled House of
Representatives, which polls show
are supported by 90 percent of
Americans. Several dozen members
of GAG projected the names
and number of Americans killed in
gun violence in 2019 onto the side
of the Newseum, hung banners in
the US Capitol describing Senate
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
of Kentucky as “Massacre Mitch,”
and posted signs outside McConnell’s
DC home, including one that
read “Sold to the NRA.”
national leader and former member
of Polish Parliament, seeking
international solidarity.
“Dear friends, in Poland for the
last two years the authorities have
been conducting a smear campaign
against the LGBT+ community,
spearheaded by state-owned
media outlets,” Grodska wrote.”…
This is why the solidarity of all
people of good will in defense of
freedom and equality is important.
I thank all of you for your support
of our cause — “justice and equality.”
We demand immediate freedom
for our LGBT community activist,
Margot.”
Fay described the latest movement
as a follow-up to last year’s
uprising that was ignited when the
city of Bialystok’s fi rst-ever Pride
march was tarnished by anti-
LGBTQ people who physically attacked
marchers. Last year Fay
said during his trip to Poland one
individual told him he hoped that
the uprising could serve as Poland’s
Stonewall movement.
“Just as happened last year after
the anti LGBT attack in Bialystok,
the LGBT community in Poland
are rising up in defi ance and determination,”
Fay said.
Our Perspective
Housing Works:
Let Them Vote!
By Stuart Appelbaum, President
Retail, Wholesale and Department
Store Union, RWDSU, UFCW
Twitter: @sappelbaum
Housing Works – which provides housing,
healthcare, job training, legal assistance, and
other supportive services for people living
with HIV/AIDS – has spent the year disrespecting its workers and doing
everything it can to deny their right to unionize. As Housing Works workers
have fought for better jobs and to improve their clients’ care, their bosses
have disregarded their progressive roots in favor of old-school unionbusting
tactics. An organization with roots in radical activism retained a
high-powered union-busting law firm who has now appealed to a Trumpappointed
labor board to do their dirty work and crush their worker-driven
union organizing campaign.
And, much like President Trump himself, they seem to have no
problem bending the truth to suit their motives. While Housing Works
has long claimed neutrality in this campaign, the truth is they have
fought their workers every step of the way. While they claim to want a
free and fair union election, they are fighting to suppress their workers’
rights by indefinitely delaying the election. Housing Works sees their
workers’ conviction and are afraid they will lose.
Housing Works’ latest move is outrageous, but also predictable from
an organization that has continually betrayed its progressive roots. Early
last month, the Brooklyn Region of the NLRB ruled that Housing Works’
reasons for continuing to delay the union election were not legally
sufficient to stop the election and ordered ballots to be mailed to workers
as they agreed to do in February, long before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Housing Works responded by appealing to Trump’s labor board in D.C. In
their appeal they are asking to delay the election indefinitely, and are
asking the union to re-sign up all workers to join the union – destroying
over a years’ worth of work by their workers in favor of a “redo.” While
publicly they continue to claim they want all of their workers to vote, their
latest move lays bare their motive: to silence their workers’ voices by
crushing the workers’ organizing drive.
The 650 Housing Works employees at housing units, thrift stores,
healthcare, and other locations throughout New York City have been clear
from the outset that they need union representation to address a number
of important issues and to provide their clients with the best possible care.
Workers at Housing Works have raised serious concerns to management,
describing unmanageable caseloads, lack of training, discrimination and
harassment and health and safety issues. Workers have raised concerns
about pay and benefits, including that their health insurance doesn’t
provide adequate coverage, such as for workers transitioning genders.
These workplace concerns are central not just to employee welfare,
but to client care as well, with these issues leading to high turnover rates
for employees.
It is time for Housing Works to remember their roots for the good of
their workers and their clients. By carrying on like the worst of corporate
America, they bring shame to their entire organization. They need to stop
fighting the election they’ve long claimed they want to see, and they need
to start behaving as if their long-stated public stance of “neutrality” is
real, not just public relations obfuscation.
We demand of Housing Works: Let your
workers vote! Stop the misinformation, stop the
union-busting, and allow your workers to exercise
their rights.
www.rwdsu.org
GayCityNews.com | August 13 - August 26, 2020 7
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