Unionizing at Nonprofits

An interesting article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy talks about unions at nonprofit organizations.  Here are snippets:  

The Southern Poverty Law Center is far from alone. The list of cultural institutions, advocacy groups, and social-service organizations that have unionized includes big names like the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and Common Cause, along with smaller ones like the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. Even as the economy cools and fears of recession grow, both union organizers and consultants who advise nonprofit leaders on the issue say nonprofit staff are continuing to unionize at the same fast pace.

Across a broad swath of the nonprofit world, more and more employees are turning to unions for representation. Workers and managers battle over pay, benefits, and diversity and equity while they continue to work side by side to achieve their organizations’ mission. They find themselves stuck in a contentious process designed for for-profit companies that is often a poor fit with the nonprofit world, where leaders may not always oppose the union or employees’ proposals.

Unions can serve as an important check in the nonprofit world, says Nancy Withbroe, COO of the National Women’s Law Center, which recently unionized. “We are not above reproach in our sector, and there are certainly things that we need to work on.”

Union organizing at nonprofits has accelerated in recent years. Two dozen museums have unionized in the past three years, according to data compiled by the American Alliance of Museums. The Nonprofit Professional Employees Union has grown from 300 workers at 12 organizations in 2018 to 1,500 workers at nearly 50 organizations today. In 2019, the Office and Professional Employees International Union started an offshoot to represent nonprofit employees. Its Nonprofit Employees United now represents workers at 68 organizations. The NewsGuild-Communications Workers of America went from having five unions recognized in 2019 to 44 today. In New York City, about two-thirds of the 170 social-service organizations that are members of the Human Services Council have some union presence.

Unionization at nonprofits is part of a trend exemplified by high-profile labor efforts like those at Starbucks and Amazon. Union drives — and several strikes — at museums across the country have attracted attention, as did the recent lengthy strikes by academic workers at the University of California.

The reasons nonprofit employees are turning to unions are varied.

People who work at nonprofits tend to be younger, well educated, and altruistic — a perfect blend of characteristics that tip people toward interest in unions, says David Zonderman, a history professor at North Carolina State University who teaches labor and nonprofit history.

Many unionizing workers are looking for livable wages and opportunities to advance, all the more important as housing costs and inflation have shot up. Others see unions as a way to press for greater racial equity and live out their values in their work.

At museums and other nonprofits, the pandemic exposed a business model based on underpaying employees, says Laura Lott, CEO of the American Alliance of Museums. Younger workers are increasingly challenging the idea that work at prestigious institutions should come with substandard pay.

darryll jones