Workers at Non-Profits Unionize Across the Country

The cover of the January 2023 issue of The Chronicle of Philanthropy features the headline, "UNION PUSH" and the subhead, "Non-profit workers want better pay, benefits, and equity." 

One of the articles inside was headlined "Here Come the Non-Profit Unions"; read it here. 

A few brief excerpts:

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 ….

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 ...