JOINT STATEMENT
December 16, 2021
MADRE Staff and Leadership Work Together to Promote Feminist Values in the Workplace
Today, MADRE employees alongside MADRE’s executive director and board are pleased to announce the formation of a staff union MADRE Staff United. Together, we are wholeheartedly committed to working to strengthen MADRE’s mission to advance human rights and social justice by meeting urgent needs in communities and creating lasting solutions to the crises of our time.​

Today, Defenders of Wildlife staff overwhelmingly won their union in a National Labor Relations Board election, with 70-5 votes in favor of the union. The roughly-100 workers will soon begin bargaining their first contract, after electing their colleagues into bargaining committee positions. Welcome to OPEIU, Defenders of Wildlife staff!

Today, staff at the National Association of County and City Health Officials overwhelmingly voted to form a union with OPEIU Local 2 in their NLRB elections. Through their work, NACCHO employees strengthen the capacity and effectiveness of local health departments around the United States - their expertise ranging from healthcare equity to pandemic preparedness. 

It's been a busy few months! Workers continue to advance the labor movement in partnership with OPEIU: tech workers continue to build power in their industry with a new Tech Workers Bill of Rights, eight new nonprofit groups join OPEIU including DC SAFE and Emily's List, and employees at Augsburg University made history by becoming the first unionized professional staff at a private university in Minnesota. Read the full issue in English or Spanish below!

On February 11, 2021, staff at the Association of Community College Trustees won their union election with 75% of staff voting in support of their union. Staff at ACCT work to strengthen the role of community colleges so that all people in the US can access affordable and quality education.  Follow their progress on Twitter!

On January 28, 2021, staff at DC SAFE won their union election with 90% of staff voting in support of unionizing! Staff are seeking to create equitable salary scales, increase opportunities for growth, and have a greater say in decisions that affect their lives as well as the mission they care deeply about. DC SAFE is a 24/7 domestic violence crisis intervention agency. 

On January 20, 2021, staff at the Association of Community College Trustees kicked off their election to officially certify their union. The organization declined to voluntarily recognize their staff's wishes, despite a clear majority of staff being vocal supporters of their union. 

"In my nearly four years at ACCT, I can confidently say that all members of staff are committed to and care deeply about the work we do to support students and community colleges. We are unionizing to make sure we have as strong a workplace as possible within which to do our jobs. I'm excited by the opportunity to collaborate with leadership to ensure ACCT is a great place to work for years to come," noted Associate Writer Jacob Bray. The mail-in election will conclude on February 10, 2021 with a vote count overseen by the National Labor Relations Board. 

Employees at the D.C.-based EMILY’s List are the latest to join the growing number of nonprofit employees choosing to be represented by OPEIU Local 2 and become members of our Nonprofit Employees United (NEU) initiative.
​
Today, EMILY’s List management voluntarily recognized the EMILY’s List staff union through a card check process conducted by a neutral party and now will be represented by OPEIU Local 2 in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Contract negotiations will begin in the coming weeks.

On December 16, 2020, staff at Emily's List overwhelmingly moved to form a union by requesting voluntary recognition from Emily's List leadership. 

"We work every day to ensure pro-choice Democratic women have a voice in every political office and a seat at every table. Now we’re asking for our own seat at the table. We’re proudly pro-choice, pro-union, and ready to work together to build an even stronger," remarks the Emily's Union Organizing Committee. 

Staff at the Association of Community College Trustees requested voluntary recognition on December 7, 2020 after several months of working together to form a union. Staff notified management that a supermajority of non-supervisory, non-managerial, non-confidential employees at the ACCT had joined together to form a union with the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 2. 

Staff at the National Association of County and City Health Officials requested voluntary recognition from NACCHO management on November 23, 2020 with an overwhelming show of support from eligible staff. Through their work, NACCHO employees strengthen the capacity and effectiveness of local health departments around the United States - their expertise ranging from healthcare equity to pandemic preparedness. 

Employees at DC SAFE overwhelmingly moved to form a union with the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 2 on Friday, October 30, 2020 by filing for an election with the National Labor Relations Board. DC SAFE is Washington, DC’s foremost resource for victims of domestic violence - as the District’s only 24/7 domestic violence crisis intervention agency. ​

Employees at the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA)’s national office unanimously decided to form a union with the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 2 on Friday, October 2, 2020. By taking this step, staff are seeking to live the values of APALA and enable the organization to better protect and advance workers’ rights within the labor movement and Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.
​

By Daphne Assimakopoulos, Programs Associate for the Middle East and North Africa

​In the fall of 2018, a handful of staff members at PartnersGlobal started discussing what a union could look like in our workplace. We had ideas about how to improve workplace processes to make for a more equitable experience for staff across the organization in terms of pay, benefits, and policies. More importantly, we knew a union could be the vehicle needed to push our organization to live up to its values—a commitment to democracy and a culture of dialogue. ​

On October 30, 2019, 87% of workers overwhelmingly voted YES to form a union with OPEIU Local 2. The National Endowment for Democracy is an international grant making organization who works to strengthen democracy and governance around the world. Read more in the press release below.