“I am a union freak.”
“Wresting control and ownership away from the sickos that run our society.”
As more workers from environmental and climate nonprofits enter the labor movement through unionizing, it’s sometimes hard to feel like we fit in. When we think of the stereotypical union worker, many of us still think of a middle-aged white man working on a factory floor for a manufacturing company (even if this stereotype is no longer supported by the data!). The younger, more diverse demographics of nonprofit workplaces can seem almost out of place.
It’s not just demographics, either. Our mission-based priorities make us more likely to see ourselves as activists and organizers, not just workers. All of these factors combined can make it feel like we don’t have a place in the modern labor movement, or that we need to assimilate by separating our passion for the work we do from our identity as workers.
But that’s not true! First of all, every worker has a place in the labor movement. That’s one of our fundamental beliefs here at OYO. More relevantly, though, nonprofit workers – especially those in the climate and environmental space – have a vital role to play in today’s labor movement.
Don’t just take it from us. We talked to five nonprofit workers to see what they think their role is, and every single one of them agreed: we have a unique opportunity to change both the union and nonprofit worlds.
One of the most important things unionized workers can do outside of the workplace is show others that it’s possible to organize and win. That’s extra important in the nonprofit sector. With a younger and less prevalent labor movement than those of other sectors, some nonprofit workers don’t even know that they can unionize. By organizing a union in your nonprofit workplace, you can lead by example and spread the gospel of the labor movement into the nonprofit world. You can also help your colleagues across the sector understand that it isn’t just one workplace or one boss that’s the problem – it’s the nonprofit industrial complex, and it affects all of us.
We wrote in February about how you don’t have to hate your job to deserve a union, and couldn't agree more with Jeremiah. Again, not only is it a good way to protect yourself and your coworkers from the uncertainty that comes with knowing that your working conditions could change at any moment, it’s also a way to show other organizations that they can do it too, no matter what type of work environment they have.
As Sarah points out, unionizing is also a way of ensuring that you’re able to more effectively carry out your organization's socially important mission without sacrificing yourself for the cause.
You’re changing the culture of nonprofits churning and burning their way through the workforce. It’s also an opportunity to change the culture of unions. By having more diverse backgrounds and life experiences represented during union events like conventions and elections, you change the outcomes of votes, and can push your union to take more progressive stances that reflect the new demographics of their base. Of course, this will be more effective the more you and likeminded colleagues are involved in your union, and expanding unionization within your sector. But even starting in your own bargaining unit can have larger repercussions than you may think. Luckily for all of us, this work is already happening.
Though we constantly talk about unionizing as a way to introduce democracy into your workplace, it can frankly be a challenge for some unions to govern themselves democratically. Progress is being made, though, like the “one member one vote” campaign at UAW that, after its success, enabled Shawn Fain to be elected as their international president. By pushing for increased democracy at all levels in our unions, we push for more progressive topics to be talked about, voted on, and acted upon.
When it comes to the climate crisis and other environmental issues, many unions are hesitant to take action out of fear of isolating their base membership, many of whom rely on non-renewable energy systems for work. But if we expand the environmental movement’s reach and participation in the labor movement, we expand the ability for unions to confidently take on this work and know that they’re not betraying old members; they’re investing in their new ones.
Of course, environmental action in labor spaces shouldn’t be at the expense of workers who work at power plants or on oil fields; we need to learn to work with them to find solutions that work for all of us. That’s what the labor movement can provide: a common ground for us to have when we’re talking to members of IBEW or the Teamsters about the need for us to come together to sustainably address the climate crisis while protecting workers whose jobs could be at risk from a transition to green power. As Erica illustrates, it’s not only in that context that we should be working to find common ground or to build our power to take on the oligarchs that are our true enemies; you can do this work in your neighborhood, religious institution, or even your whole town or city - not just the workplace.
While each of these workers may see themselves occupying slightly different roles than each other, they all recognize that the work that they do is relevant to the larger societal changes they want to make. Whether that’s expanding labor’s role in the nonprofit world or vice versa, we are all united in knowing that working with each other is the best – and truly, the only – way to make it happen.
