Denver Health Workers United Members Urge Board of Directors to Take Steps to Dismantle Racism

On July 23rd, Denver Health Workers United/CWA Local 7799 members Doris Achamfour and Tina Lonewolf told personal stories to the Denver Health Board of Directors about their experiences with racism on the job. Tina presented to the board the union's plan to dismantle systemic racism at work, which includes respecting the right to form a union.

"We ask that you form an antiracism worker management committee, including representation from DHWU members," the plan reads. "Executives must stop deterring and discouraging people from joining our union and exercising our freedoms of speech and association. To be clear, leaders cannot act to limit our collective voice at work and be antiracist at the same time; the two are mutually exclusive."

"While I know that I have the legal right to join a union, my co-workers have been discouraged from this right," said Doris Achamfour, a custodian at Denver Health in her testimony. "As leaders, I am asking you to right these wrongs. We deserve safety. We deserve respect and freedom from racism. We deserve to have a union to have a voice at work."