WASHINGTON — Employees of the progressive advocacy group MoveOn Civic Action have formed a union, and management has agreed to recognize it voluntarily, the Communications Workers of America announced Nov. 13.
The new bargaining unit, MoveOn Workers United-CWA, will be part of CWA Local 1103, which is based in New York, according to the union. CWA said recognition followed a card check in which 92% of employees signed in favor of the union.
The union said the organizing drive came together quickly in the wake of the Nov. 3 midterm election. CWA credited MoveOn staff with powering the organization to what it described as a near 90% win rate in that election.
MoveOn Civic Action and its affiliate MoveOn Political Action have long supported organizing campaigns led by labor groups, but the organization’s own workers had no formal say in decisions affecting their jobs, the union said. Organizers said they formed the union to give staff a voice and to press the organization to live up to its public commitment to being pro-worker and pro-union.
“Today is a milestone for the workers who have delivered historic victories in some of the most consequential legislative and electoral fights of this decade,” said William Joel Bravo, a spokesperson for MoveOn Workers United.
“Together, we are standing up to make sure that workers at this organization have a seat at the table to deliver on the commitments that MoveOn has made to the community it serves,” said Mona Yeh, another spokesperson for the group.
CWA Local 1103 President Kevin Sheil said the local was eager to help the workers win their first contract. “For years, unions across the country have supported MoveOn, so when workers from MoveOn reached out, it was a no-brainer,” Sheil said.
The next step for the new unit is negotiating a first collective bargaining agreement with management. CWA said the MoveOn staff join a growing number of employees at progressive political nonprofits who have unionized in recent years.
Voluntary recognition allows an employer to recognize a union without a secret-ballot election supervised by the National Labor Relations Board.
This report is based on information from the Communications Workers of America.
Source: Communications Workers of America
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