> > > > https://inthesetimes.com/article/audubon-society-staff-union-labor-birds-nonprofit > > Audubon Society Refuses to Recognize Its Staff Union, But Employees Say > Victory Is Near > > The wave > <https://inthesetimes.com/article/nonprofit-union-labor-coronavirus-workers-progressive-organizations> > of union organizing among prominent nonprofits over the past three years > has increasingly forced the industry to begin aligning its labor practices > with its progressive reputation. But an ongoing effort to unionize the > Audubon Society shows that the battle is still very much ongoing. > > In March, news broke <https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063727733> of > a union drive inside Audubon, the century-old bird-focused nonprofit whose > reach spans the country. By the time it became public, the organizing had > already been going on for nearly a year. Staffers say that two brutal > rounds of layoffs last year — particularly one that struck on Earth Day > 2020 — made them realize that it was time to build a safety net. “It was > an incredibly painful experience to see people who loved this organization, > who were so dedicated to this organization, be let go with almost no > warning,” says Maddox Wolfe, an Audubon campaign manager. “That was > a real galvanizing moment for Audubon employees, because it really > underscored just how precarious our jobs are… and that was only heightened > by the pandemic.” > > Shortly afterward, employees began internal conversations at different > offices across the country. Wolfe says that one of the strongest initial > motivations was to change the culture of the institution itself. “I have > had the experience that Audubon is a very top down and opaque > organization,” they say. “It’s very difficult to have a true and > meaningful voice as an employee at Audubon.” > > Audubon’s management problems were more intense than usual. Late last > year, Politico > <https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/12/audubon-society-claims-intimidation-threats-436215> > reported on an internal backlash by employees alleging that the > organization “maintains a culture of retaliation, fear and antagonism > toward women and people of color.” A subsequent report > <https://www.audubon.org/sites/default/files/morgan_lewis_report.pdf> by > an outside law firm substantiated some of the allegations, leading to the > April 20 resignation <https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063730571/> of > David Yarnold, who had been Audubon’s CEO for the past 11 years. Yarnold > was replaced > <https://www.audubon.org/news/national-audubon-society-announces-ceo-david-yarnold-step-down> > by Dr. Elizabeth Gray, a scientist who is the first female CEO in the > organization’s history. > > The union drive, which employees are conducting with the Communications > Workers of America (CWA), has had to navigate all of this institutional > turmoil. When news broke of the organizing, staffers asked Audubon to > commit to remain neutral. That request was denied, and Audubon hired > Littler Mendelson, a notorious anti-union law firm. Employees say that they > have not had direct contact with consultants from Littler, nor have they > been subjected to large-scale mandatory anti-union meetings at work, > commonly known as “captive audience meetings.” But they do say that > managers at Audubon “told employees that they cannot discuss the > organizing drive with their co-workers and directed some employees to > remove their signatures from a statement in support of the union,” which > led CWA to file an unfair labor practice charge > <https://cwa-union.org/sites/default/files/20200317_final_audubon_for_all_statement.pdf> > against Audubon in March. > > Now, events are coming to a head. On May 7, staffers formally asked > Audubon to voluntarily recognize their union. (The unit includes nearly > 400 employees at offices that quite literally span the country, from > Maine to Alaska. Workers say that a majority of them have signed union > cards, although they will not disclose the exact number.) Last Friday, > Audubon gave them their answer: no. > > “I have given this request serious and thoughtful consideration. Of all > the factors I considered, most important to me was ensuring that every > employee has a voice and that each and every employee who will be affected > by this decision has the right to exercise that voice by indicating support > or a lack of support for the union,” Elizabeth Gray wrote in a message to > the union. “Therefore, I have decided that rather than management > voluntarily recognizing the union, we will instead honor the outcome of an > election where all employees who have a stake in this question can make the > choice for themselves. I believe a fair, open, democratic election is the > only way to ensure every voice is heard.” Gray also wrote that Audubon will > “remain neutral throughout the voting process.” > > The failure to voluntarily recognize the union came as a disappointment — > particularly after unionizing employees had met with Gray and read her > a statement explaining their request for recognition. Shyamlee Patel, an > Audubon finance associate who was in that meeting, said Gray did not make > any commitments, but seemed open and pleasant, while guarded. The > organization’s argument for a “democratic election,” Patel says, is > a canard. “We’ve already engaged in a democratic process. The majority of > us have signed cards,” she says. “The democratic process has occurred.” > > Patel points out that just last week, the ACLU, a “peer organization,” > voluntarily recognized > <https://twitter.com/ACLUStaffUnited/status/1392224413559500805> its own > staffers’ union. Other similar nonprofits, like the Sierra Club and Sunrise > Movement, already have staff unions. > > Pedro Hernandez worked at other environmental justice nonprofits without > unions before joining Audubon as an outreach and engagement manager a year > and a half ago. “I’ve seen that there’s a lot of good missions out there, > but also workers’ conditions in those organizations are important to > fulfilling the mission,” he says. “Workers like myself and my colleagues > who are organizing the union are the reason Audubon is able to have its > profile, and the reason it’s able to fundraise.” > > Despite Audubon’s refusal to recognize the union without an election, the > broader outlook for the union seems promising. The unpopular Yarnold has > left; Gray, the new CEO, has pledged, at least, neutrality; and the > industry at large is rapidly trending towards unions in the workplace > becoming a standard. Staffers will not reveal their plans in the event the > battle to get certified turns ugly, but Hernandez hints at the unit’s broad > capabilities for action. > > “Audubon’s most talented staff are part of the union — campaign > organizers, government relations folks, admin folks, social media folks. So > we have a lot of capacity to organize,” he says. “It is not off the table > for us to escalate if needed.” > > Employees say that priorities for their first contract include diversity, > pay equity, and improving career development pathways and transparency > between staff and management. And even though their union campaign is still > dragging on after more than a year, they are bolstered by the knowledge > that they can now claim to be a part of the labor movement. > > “We started our campaign because of internal issues that we were > experiencing at Audubon,” Maddox Wolfe says. “But we are now a part of > this national moment that’s happening with unions.” > >
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