This month, the staff of NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) held their first bargaining session with management.
In November 2023, the staff of the 54-year-old environmental non-profit organization was voluntarily recognized after a supermajority of staff expressed support for the union. The union joined the Washington-Baltimore News Guild (TNG-CWA Local 32035) to fight for collective bargaining rights for 360 members.
NRDC’s union formed remotely in the wake of COVID-19 restrictions and following layoffs in September 2023. Their demands include increased pay for the lowest-paid staff, shortened workweeks and better work-life balance, clear mechanisms for development and advancement, and processes for grievances and protections regarding discipline.
“This contract is a product of all the people across NRDC — from scientists to administrators to lawyers to IT specialists — who believe in the inherent value of happy, secure, and fulfilled workers, and that those qualities will also make for an NRDC that excels at its mission,” Ihab Mikati of the staff union negotiating committee said.
“We know that without safeguards, a good agency, a good policy, or a good job can become a bad one overnight. The best way to protect all of us when this happens is to protect all of us, before it happens. We are more effective changemakers when we are secure and we believe this is a contract that provides the refuge of security,” Mikati said.
You can stay tuned to union news throughout bargaining by following them on Instagram.
