Unions are one of the best ways for working women and men to end sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace. That is because when working people come together in union, they negotiate a contract with just cause language, and a grievance and arbitration process for dealing with conflict with the employer.

With the rise of the #MeToo movement, it has become painfully clear that management and people in positions of power have long been able to sexually harass and abuse women with little to no chance of facing any consequences. That’s why I was stunned to see a recent op-ed [Employers are the key to developing workplace harassment solutions] that suggested employers and management were key to solving the problem of sexual harassment.

As a long list of powerful men have been exposed – Harvey Weinstein, Steve Wynn, Larry Nassar, Mario Batali, Matt Lauer, Bill Cosby and countless others – for sexual harassment and assault, it has become quite obvious that management would not solve this problem on its own. Not only has this movement illuminated the pervasiveness of the problem, it also showed that even women with relatively high levels of power were not immune to being harassed.

Sexual harassment has no place in our society. Yet far too many working people, especially women, dread going to work simply because they fear they may be harassed or worse. Many even fear retaliation for speaking up.

That’s why it’s important to have a union.

Click here to continue reading Taffy Womack's op-ed in the CT Mirror.