Nonprofit union drives continue to flourish as nonprofits struggle with increasing crises
Nonprofit union campaigns that have gone public have all been successful in the past two years, and as crises continue to build in the Covid-19 era, union drives in the nonprofit sector have continued to flourish. The Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU) has been vigorously attracting new nonprofit members for the past two years, successfully encouraging labor organizing in white collar professions. Run as a volunteer operation, it now represents 27 workplaces, including The Center for American Progress, Open Markets Institute, and J Street. In April, the NPEU announced seven successful union drives, boosting their number by a third. The surge in organizing has been attributed to an increased aggressiveness of a younger generation of workers who are experiencing the second economic crisis of their careers. Employees at nonprofits have nonetheless struggled over how public the labor battle is portrayed, as they feel torn between being protective of their employer's reputation and mission, even while fighting for their labor rights.
See " Nonprofit union drives continue to flourish as nonprofits struggle with increasing crises", Hamilton Nolan, In These Times, May 22, 2020