Union of Legal Workers for Trans Liberation

We’re negotiating in a climate where our families, our autonomy, and our basic safety are under threat. And management still won’t show up or put real money on the table so we can afford our rent and bills.

Enough. Show up, bargain, and respect the people who keep this place running.

Dr.Evil and his quotation marks sign language and the word “negotiations”

Hey y’all, guess who’s STILL stalling on economics—and who just canceled the final bargaining session of the year? Yep. @transequality.bsky.social’s Management. They clearly don’t care that the BU will lose protections heading into the new year.

Among the proposals mgmt has made so far: 1) pay *decreases* for several Union members 2) restrictions to make it more difficult to access funds in our gender affirming care pool and 3) rollbacks to existing just cause and progressive discipline protections to make it easier to fire Union staff

Clown emoji!

We're back! The ULW4TL is back at the bargaining table and boy are we mad! We have been back to the bargaining table for 5 months and have yet to receive comprehensive economic offers. Since our initial contract in 2023, the rate of inflation has skyrocketed and Trump's tariffs have significantly reduced buying power. Since then, our salaries have only received 2.5% COLAs per year. Not only has inflation skyrocketed, the cost of rent has increased between 5-6% yearly in NYC and D.C., where the majority of our unit lives. A4TE has cited budgetary concerns, and while we sympathize with these difficulties, we find them to be self-inflicted. A4TE chose to hire a plethora of C-Suite staff with high salaries and chose to increase its CEO's salary by nearly 100k from 2023-2024 according to the latest IRS filings. Poor budgetary planning, especially when management knows contract negotiations were around the corner is not the Unit's fault. Contract negotiations were foreseeable by management, but the respective unions at TLDEF and NCTE were blindsided by the costly merger that has seemingly left management only with enough money to give themselves thousands in raises while barely offering the status quo to its least paid and underappreciated staff.

Management expects to exhaust us with a drawn out, "woe is me" approach. Unfortunately, this strategy only energizes the most tired of us all. Management will now have to deal with a forceful and unrelenting public resistance to this strategy until our needs are met. A Union's first contract is the floor and we have no where to go but up. This organization will crumble without its administrators, its organizers, its policy team, its communications staff, its development team, or its legal team. A machine without its cogs, breaks. There is no time but the present, @transequalitynow Let's Negotiate.

We are back at the bargaining table! And it's been FIVE months.

There is no time but the present, @transequality.bsky.social

Let's Negotiate!

I'm one of the four fired employees. I was a writer & producer at Bon Appétit for nearly five years, during which I helped organize our union and sat on our bargaining committee.

I am, to my knowledge, the only trans woman in our union and the only trans woman on editorial who doesn't work at Them

We are proud to be part of a union of thousands of legal advocates and attorneys who understand that a threat to one is a threat to all.

You can find ALAA’s statement here: www.instagram.com/p/DHFFoKIsJV...

#FreeMahmoudkhalil

As the federal government is restricting trans people’s ability to travel & immigrate, targeting trans people in custody, & increasing its surveillance & criminalization, it’s important to recognize that fights for trans liberation, immigrants’ rights, & Palestinian freedom are inextricably linked.

Consistent with our past statements, our union remains steadfast in our commitment to Palestinian freedom. we continue to be disappointed by our organization’s silence, which has negatively impacted partnerships in our work.

Official statement:

ULW4TL condemns the illegal targeting, kidnapping, and detention of mahmoud khalil and joins @alaa2325 in demanding his immediate release and cessation of all deportation proceedings.

WE WROTE EN MASSE AND GAVE YOU A WEEK TO ACT, NOW WE PROTEST: NO BAN ON GENDER AFFIRMING CARE FOR TRANS YOUTH PROTEST ON THURSDAY FEB 13! 12-2P OUTSIDE OF THE DC ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE 400 6th STREET N.W. BRING SIGNS & FRIENDS! *DELAYED BECAUSE OF HARSH WEATHER CONDITIONS; PLEASE TAKE NOTE** QUEER LIBE RANS TIO Committee of "Alled Organizations: Emall CIR Interns and BAWGGMDCDSA.ORG to Residents SEIUHealthcare. coordinate co-sponsoring * PRIDE AT METRO Oc DSA WORK

Our turn DC

Yeah, we heard and felt heartbroken about it. We wanted to mention that in our statement, but it didn't seem like public news yet, and we didn't want to wait to release this statement.

We heard it’s a pretty high number of layoffs.

If you truly believe in protecting trans lives, open your wallets. Donate to A4TE & other trans-led organizations. This movement is under attack—but together, we can ensure it remains strong. #UnionStrong #TransRightsAreLaborRights (10/10)

Donate here: bit.ly/transled

Lady Gaga, Chappell Roan, Alicia Keys shout out trans rights & equality at the Grammys - LGBTQ Nation "Trans people deserve love."

To our cis allies & comrades: We need more than words. Donate, volunteer, and engage with trans-led orgs. Celebrities spoke up at the Grammys, and we’re grateful—but words alone won’t sustain this movement. (9/10)

www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/02/lady...

If you are a movement worker facing a layoff, please contact us at ulw4tl@gmail.com. We will do our best to share leads & connect impacted workers with new opportunities. We can’t promise help for everyone, but we will try. (8/10)

Our union contract at A4TE has expanded access to gender-affirming care, fertility services, & reproductive care. By unionizing, we make it clear: trans rights & reproductive rights are labor rights. This is our power. (7/10)

We must send a clear message: unionization is our shield. It ensures workers have a voice in decisions affecting their lives & livelihoods. Movement workers across organizations must unionize & fight for fair, just workplaces. (6/10)

By contrast, we appreciate that A4TE, a trans-centered org, has worked to reduce costs without layoffs. These conversations matter. Leadership’s commitment to workers is crucial in the fight against this anti-trans regime. (5/10)

These layoffs were not the only option. They were not the most responsible option. Leadership decisions should center worker protections, not executive comfort. (4/10)

The justification for these layoffs at HRC demands scrutiny. Their payroll is $21.5M for 300 staff, yet 18 executives take home $5.19M—nearly 25% of all salaries. Even modest pay cuts at the top could have saved many jobs. (3/10)

This is a stark reminder of the uncertainty & cruelty we face under this administration. Funding & sustainability are crucial to keeping our communities safe. Organizations must prioritize protecting workers—not padding executive salaries. (2/10)

ULW4TL Public Statement 2.6.2025 Union of Legal Workers for Trans LiberationPublic StatementFebruary 6th, 2025 We are deeply troubled by the news of the Human Rights Campaign planning to lay off approximately 20% of their staff. T...

Public Statement 🧵 (1/10)

(see full statement here- docs.google.com/document/d/1...)

We are deeply troubled by the news of HRC planning to lay off ~20% of its staff. These are not just numbers. These are people who have dedicated their lives to LGBTQIA+ rights.

🚨 CALL TO ACTION

The Senate is set to pass the first federal Anti-LGBTQ+ provision since the 1990s!!

Call your Senators NOW and tell them:

- Vote NO on cloture of the NDAA tonight
- Vote NO on the NDAA

Give him a block, and then block his followers too!

bsky.app/profile/did:...

Jeremy Peters is not the guy you should be trusting with interviews. He's a snake and an activist working against your org.

bsky.app/profile/flam...

It is notable that the NYT is repeatedly accused of taking words out of context to create the most anti-trans narrative imaginable. For reference, this is the way Heng-Lehtinen's words were presented in the NYT story.

If this is truly as blatantly out of context, the NYT should be ashamed.

Advocate's for Trans Equality have released a statement on yesterday's New York Times story, stating Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen's quotes were taken out of context by to imply support for those who misgender, and ceding ground.

They state the organization will refuse to cede any ground.

Full statement:

Proud of my union 💙

So, so proud to be in this union!