Unions have come a long way

Though I appreciated Colbert I. King’s comparison of D.C. today with Agnes Meyer’s D.C. of 1963 in his March 4 op-ed, “Agnes Meyer’s dreary portrait of 1963 D.C. still rings true,” I took issue with his comment about unions. Mr. King contended that Meyer’s nearly 60-year-old comment that “labor unions have been just as guilty as management” for discriminating against Black people in construction “might be mistaken as applying to today.” That’s a wholly inaccurate portrayal of today’s construction unions.

The trades have come a long way since 1963. Today’s building trades stand for creating economic opportunity and equality. Today’s building trades are hyperfocused on grass-roots recruitment and retention efforts to include not only more people of color but also more women, veterans and returning citizens.

As a Black trades unionist and the business manager of the D.C. metro area’s Plumbers and Gasfitters UA Local 5, I can attest that we take diversity and inclusion seriously. For example, 35 percent of Local 5 members are Black, and minorities account for 52 percent of our membership. Local 5 has 295 apprentices enrolled, of which 57 percent are minorities. We also proactively recruit high school seniors of color to join our union and our apprenticeship program. Terriea “T” Smalls, Lanham