Nonprofit Professional Employees Union Files Unfair Labor Practice Against National Center for Transgender Equality Leadership For Retaliation Against Staff Organizing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Katie Barrows, NPEU, 360-624-6936, kbarrows@npeu.org

WASHINGTON, November 15, 2019 - Today, the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU) filed an unfair labor practice charge against the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) for discharging all employees in the bargaining unit, in retaliation against the staff asking for voluntary recognition of their union. 

After years of systemic issues, NCTE employees began organizing a union with NPEU. In November 2018, NCTE staff asked for voluntary recognition of their union instead of filing for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board, giving management a chance to recognize the union in a collaborative way. NCTE management used textbook union-busting tactics to draw out the process and never recognized the union. In August 2019, following the unjust firing of a transgender person of color, NCTE staff walked out of their workplace in protest and sent a letter to the board asking for removal of NCTE’s leadership. NCTE’s work environment became more and more hostile in the months following the collective action, culminating in leadership pressuring staff to leave the organization.

NPEU condemns the actions of NCTE leadership. By busting their staff’s union and retaliating against collective action, they have done a disservice to their organization’s own mission. According to NCTE’s own research, transgender people often lack legal protections in the workplace, which leads to high levels of unemployment and poverty. Moreover, one in six transgender workers have lost a job due to discrimination. By failing to recognize NCTE’s staff union and pushing the majority of the employees out of the organization, NCTE has not only taken away the staff’s livelihood, but has hurt the movement for transgender equality. Ironically, organizing a union and negotiating a contract that prohibits discrimination based on gender identity is the only way for transgender workers to have explicit legal protections in the workplace in over half the country.

NCTE management cannot continue to claim to support labor unions and rights of transgender people, while violating the workplace rights of their staff. 

About NPEU:

The Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU) represents professionals employed at over a dozen nonprofit organizations, including employees at Economic Policy Institute, the Center for American Progress, and Community Change. With several hundred members, NPEU gives nonprofit workers a voice to strengthen their workplaces and continue to do work that makes a difference in people’s lives.