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What is a union?
Check out this explainer from Oregon AFSCME!
What has changed now that we've unionized?
It all depends on what we want to change and what we want to protect!
Without a union, management gets to make all the decisions. This can mean denying us needed and deserved raises and support, in addition to the right to change our pay and benefits. Management can even discipline or terminate us without any reason. This is called “at-will” employment.
Having a union means that we as workers have the right to make decisions that affect our working conditions. We can co-create–through collective negotiation with management– legally binding language that protects us from unfair discipline and losing the aspects of our jobs we value. We have heard from many of our coworkers that higher wages and more supportive and sustainable working conditions are a change that must happen. When employees burn out or have to work multiple jobs to sustain a living, it negatively impacts the youth we serve. We believe our clients deserve continuity of care and support from staff that have adequate qualifications, training, and necessary emotional and physical resources.
Who leads our union?
We do! As workers at NAFY, only we know what we’d like to address through union representation.
Please contact us if you have any questions or attend a regular meeting. We are always looking for more input and to bring a wider variety of voices into bargaining negotions, so if you haven't already please fill out our bargaining survey!
I'm having an issue at work. Is this something the union can help me with? Where should I start?
Reach out and let us know what you’re experiencing! Anything you tell us (the Organizing Committee or an AFSCME staff member) will remain confidential from management and coworkers unless you provide explicit permission to share.
It’s possible that your issue is something we can address now through collective action. If it isn’t, it’s likely something that we can propose during contract bargaining. We can talk about how to address it in a contract and make a plan to keep it on our growing priority list.
What are my rights at work now that we have a union?
Check out our resources page for some answers!
Why can't supervisory employees be a part of the union?
Legally (per the NLRA–National Labor Relations Act) supervisory employees are representatives of management. A supervisor is defined as someone who has the right to hire and fire. “Confidential” employees may be excluded as well. These are employees who have access to management information that could place them in conflict with the interests of the union (nonsupervisory employees).
How much are dues and when will I start paying them?
Dues are 1.27% of your base pay. That's $12.70 out of every $1000 you earn, with a monthly cap at $73 for those who earn more than $45/hour. You will not begin paying dues until after you have ratified your first contract. Check out Oregon AFSCME's dues explainer for more information.
Why did NAFY executive leadership push back against workers organizing a union? Will this change now?
While there are examples of non-profits encouraging their employees to organize for their collective good, sadly this is not the norm. Management fear of losing control is universal, and it is to be expected in any organization accustomed to top-down control. This fear is also not something management will readily admit to or congruently stand for, so there are often other excuses/reasons cited by executive leadership on why they oppose a union.
It's tough to predict how Management will behave during contract negotiations (bargaining), but here is how we will choose to approach them:
We'll assume good intentions and continue to present the opportunity for positive, productive partnership
We'll be poised and prepared to mobilize if we aren't getting a response that's fair!
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