By Tab Buckner, HANC Board

Allan Baird beside the bullhorn he gave Harvey Milk (now residing in the Smithsonian).  Photo by Dan Nicoletta

Allan Baird, a native San Franciscan and union organizer, died at his home on January 7 at age 92. Allan lived for his entire life in Eureka Valley that became known as the Castro District. His wife Helen ran a queer-friendly neighborhood bar in the 1950s and 1960s.

Allan worked for the Teamsters Local 921. He transferred to Local 888 in 1973 to work on the strike and fledgling boycott of several beer distributors who would not negotiate with workers, especially Coors. A notoriously racist and anti-labor company, Coors would automatically disqualify employment applicants who were pressured to declare if they were pro-union or gay. Partnering with co-organizer Andy Cirkelis, Allan helped create a boycott coalition with African American, Arab American, Latin American and Chinese American businesses. They held frequent picket lines outside of local businesses while leafleting and using bullhorns to attract attention.

Allan approached the politically rising Harvey Milk and together they successfully eradicated Coors from San Francisco’s gay bars. In turn, Allan secured the hiring of openly gay Teamsters. In addition to boycott work, Allan pushed for affirmative action in his union and bridged alliances between the Teamsters and the United Farmworkers in their respective struggles. Coors sales in California plummeted.

In 1978, Allan fought against Proposition 6 (Briggs Initiative) that would have barred openly LGBTQ teachers and their allies from working in California’s public schools. Over the decades, Allan continued to fight on behalf of organized labor and human rights. Even as his health declined, he advocated hard to add “Sisterhood” to the name of the “Brotherhood of Teamsters”. Allan mentored and inspired generations of activists who have been indebted to his courage, integrity and initiative.