Close to 200 GLBT labor activists and their allies will be descending on San Diego this weekend for Pride at Work’s national convention and the timing couldn’t be better, the San Diego chapter said.

Recently, the California Federation of Labor took a strong stand by passing a resolution in favor of civil marriage equality. The California Federation of Labor is the state level of the AFL-CIO, which is America’s largest federation of unions. The timing is also right due to the anti-marriage initiatives that have been going back and forth in California in recent years. Because of these issues, the group feels San Diego is an appropriate host city for the event.

Held once every three years, the 2006 convention is themed “There’s No Turning Back” and will take place Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 7-10, at the San Diego Hilton Resort on Mission Bay.

A national organization with chapters in several cities including San Diego, Pride at Work seeks to mobilize mutual support between the organized labor movement and the GLBT community to fight for social and economic justice.

“Pride at Work is committed to demanding full inclusion and equality of GLBT workers in their unions and workplaces,” Nancy Wohlforth, national co-president of Pride at Work and secretary-treasurer of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) of the AFL-CIO, told the Gay & Lesbian Times in March.

“Workers rights and LGBT rights are not different,” Wohlforth continued. “We are all families, and there is a growing understanding that by coming together we have a better bargaining hand.”

The group also works within the labor communities. Wohlforth said labor leadership has traditionally been dominated by white men.

“We are fighting to change the leadership, too,” she said. “We not only want a seat at the table but we also want a voice. And thanks to people like Jerry, we’re getting it.”

Wohlforth referred to Jerry Butkiewicz, the CEO of the San Diego-Imperial County Labor Council, who has been a strong ally in equal rights for GLBT workers.

According to Brian Polejes, San Diego area Pride at Work chapter chair, organized labor represents more than 15 million people.

“There is a benefit of crossover pollination and building bridges between organized labor and the LGBT community,” he said.

This weekend’s conference will bring together Pride at Work chapter members and others interested in GLBT labor issues, and will focus on education, skill-building, networking and unionism. The convention schedule includes caucus and networking meetings, pre-conference institutes on issues like marriage equality and transgender equality, keynote speakers, a variety of workshops and receptions, and a Saturday night celebration poolside luau.

A number of high-profile individuals from the labor and GLBT communities have been scheduled to speak at this year’s Pride at Work convention, including Assemblymember John Laird, D- Boulder Creek, who will be present to welcome the convention body at the Opening Plenary on Friday morning.

Laird has been a longtime advocate of both GLBT and workers’ issues, and will address the ways these two communities “can continue working in solidarity for progressive change,” Pride at Work said.

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force board co-chair Marsha Bozter, Leslie Cagan of United for Peace and Justice, AFL-CIO executive vice president Linda Chavez-Thompson and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) executive vice president Mary Kay Henry are also scheduled to speak and participate in the convention.

The SEIU is the largest labor union in North America, and Polejes said it is unprecedented that Henry, an open lesbian, holds such a high position in a union of SEIU’s prominence.

SEIU has been among the unions most supportive of GLBT workers since the beginning, Polejes said. In fact, the Lavender Caucus, a GLBT networking group of SEIU, predates Pride at Work, and Polejes said the caucus was instrumental in the formation of Pride at Work.

It’s quite an honor that this convention and so many key figures are coming to San Diego, Polejes said.

“It’s a recognition of the strength and tie between organized labor and the LGBT community, which is pretty strong in San Diego,” he added.

Indeed, openly gay elected representatives state Senator Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, San Diego City Councilmember Toni Atkins and Chula Vista Mayor Steve Padilla are scheduled to take part in various portions of the weekend convention.

“The entire convention should be of interest to people in the community that want to get connected to the larger picture of progressive politics in the United States,” Polejes said. Everyone, not just those working in the labor movement, are encouraged to attend. Polejes encourages people to register and attend portions of the convention that fit their schedules.

“Our theme this year, ‘There’s No Turning Back,’ really says it all for me,” Wohlforth said. “I am so proud of the progress Pride at Work has made over the years, and the many concrete victories we’ve won for our LGBT brothers and sisters in and out of the workplace.”

Registration is still being accepted for the weekend convention. Interested participants can register onsite at the hotel throughout the weekend. Tickets are also available for the Saturday night banquet. Visit www.prideatwork.org or contact Polejes at (619) 865-6784 for more information.