Urban Institute Employees Form Union

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

WASHINGTON, April 13, 2021- Today, a supermajority of Urban Institute staff announced that they have formed a union—the Urban Institute Employees’ Union—and have affiliated with the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU), IFPTE Local 70. The staff are calling on President Sarah Rosen Wartell to voluntarily recognize their union, which includes staff from all departments: Research/Policy/Technical Assistance, Operations, Facilities, Communications, Accounting, Contracts and Grants Office, Technology, and Finance.  

The Urban Institute Employees’ Union was formed to create a more democratic workplace that lives the organization's values. One of the union’s top priorities is to meaningfully support Black, Brown, Indigenous, AAPI, and Latinx staff; LGB/GNCT staff; and staff with disabilities through equitable pay, treatment, promotion processes, access to leadership positions, and mental health resources at Urban. It also aims to invest in racial progress within and outside of our organization through investment in communities Urban studies. 

The Organizing Committee of Urban Institute Employees Union said the following:

“We believe Urban needs a nurturing workplace for all employees in order to bring rigorous research to advance equitable policy solutions. We believe that nobody can represent workers’ interests better than workers themselves and that our perspectives are vital to Urban’s longevity and its institutional ethics. And we believe that until we unite to strengthen our voices and decisionmaking power in conversation with management, Urban cannot make good on the workplace it promises.”

“We are excited to welcome the Urban Institute Employees Union to NPEU,” said Interim President Katie Barrows. “By exercising their workplace right to form a union, Urban Institute employees are gaining a say in workplace decisions as well as living their values. We look forward to working with management on a voluntary recognition agreement.”

Follow the Urban Institute Employees’ Union on Twitter at @UrbanInst_Union, and follow @NonprofitUnion for updates on other organizing campaigns.

About NPEU:

The Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU), a local of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, represents professionals employed at more than 30 nonprofit organizations (and counting), including employees at Economic Policy Institute, the Center for American Progress, and Community Change. NPEU gives nonprofit workers a voice to strengthen their workplaces and continue to do work that makes a difference in people’s lives.