This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/28/nyregion/nonprofits-unions.html

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 4 Version 5
They Want to Change the World. They Would Also Like a Raise. They Want to Change the World. They Would Also Like a Raise.
(about 20 hours later)
All they saw were red lines. And that meant “no deal.” Yet.All they saw were red lines. And that meant “no deal.” Yet.
The newly unionized employees at Community Solutions, a nonprofit based in New York City that combats homelessness, were in the early days of negotiating their first contract. They had assumed that their proposal to protect formerly homeless people from being discriminated against in the organization’s hiring process would be a simple matter for both sides.The newly unionized employees at Community Solutions, a nonprofit based in New York City that combats homelessness, were in the early days of negotiating their first contract. They had assumed that their proposal to protect formerly homeless people from being discriminated against in the organization’s hiring process would be a simple matter for both sides.
Instead, hammering out the clause has turned into months of disagreements and returned proposals, slashed through with red ink. Management has legal concerns over the language used, while staff members are focused on the very people for whom their workplace finds housing. “We all agree on principle,” said Paulette Martin, the chief operating officer.Instead, hammering out the clause has turned into months of disagreements and returned proposals, slashed through with red ink. Management has legal concerns over the language used, while staff members are focused on the very people for whom their workplace finds housing. “We all agree on principle,” said Paulette Martin, the chief operating officer.
But so far, that is where the understanding ends.But so far, that is where the understanding ends.
As workers at private companies like Starbucks and Amazon start to organize across the country, so too are nonprofit employees, from adjunct professors to environmental activists. Yet inside mission-based organizations, union negotiations can be particularly awkward.As workers at private companies like Starbucks and Amazon start to organize across the country, so too are nonprofit employees, from adjunct professors to environmental activists. Yet inside mission-based organizations, union negotiations can be particularly awkward.
“In the social justice, pro-change, progressive movement, the leaders and the staff are often aligned,” said Amy Smoucha, a consultant. “But unionization can be a blunt instrument, and it can be difficult, even for the most well-intentioned nonprofit, to find a collaborative path.”
At Community Solutions, the tensions began after the group was awarded a $100 million grant from the MacArthur Foundation. “We went from a smaller organization to one that was a lot bigger,” said John Collier, a data analyst at the nonprofit, as well as a union organizer, “and we wanted to have a seat at the table, for the people who were actually doing the work to have a voice.”