Pa. AFL-CIO praises Obama executive order on workplace discrimination

The president of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO says he’s pleased that President Obama has pledged to sign an executive order prohibiting federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

 

Rick Bloomingdale said that, in the absence of other legal protections, Obama’s directive is a positive step.

“If there has to be job discipline, it should be about whether you can do the job,” he said. “It should never have anything to do about how you look, who you choose to work with, who you choose to marry.”

Pennsylvania, unlike New Jersey and Delaware, does not have a general law banning workplace discrimination against LGBT employees. A measure that would provide those protections in Pennsylvania is stalled in legislative committees and appears unlikely to be passed this year.

The federal executive order, which is still being drafted, is expected to have some sort of exemption for religious employers.