The Movement Cooperative & TMC Staff Union Announce Finalization of Inaugural Collective Bargaining Agreement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TMC management and Union staff celebrate the completion and look forward to implementing a values-aligned bargaining agreement that distinguishes TMC as a progressive and employee-centered workplace.
Washington, DC — Today, The Movement Cooperative (TMC) and TMC Staff Union announced the signing and finalization of the organization’s first collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
The TMC Staff Union is organized under the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union, NPEU - IFPTE Local 70, of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers. TMC management voluntarily recognized the union and certified by card check on February 4, 2021.
TMC entered a status quo period prolonged by a leadership transition that culminated in the appointment of current TMC CEO Julia Barnes in March 2022. Vigorous negotiations began shortly after Barnes’ appointment.
TMC management and the TMC Staff Union are deeply grateful for the long hours dedicated to producing a robust pro-employee CBA that aligns with TMC’s role as a leader in the progressive movement and prioritizes the rights, well-being, and professional development of TMC staff. The engagement of TMC staff from all levels of the organization led to a CBA that includes manifold staff priorities and creates strong accountability measures to uphold TMC’s values while providing industry-leading data warehousing and technology support for the progressive community. Staff and management are furthermore grateful for the support provided by external legal counsel and the TMC Staff Union’s union representatives.
TMC CEO Julia Barnes had this to say about the finalization:
“It is an honor as TMC’s CEO to sign one of NPEU’s most progressive contracts to guarantee industry-leading benefits and working conditions to our employees. Speaking on behalf of TMC’s management team, I am moved by and grateful for the dedication TMC union and non-union staff have shown to the bargaining process. Our CBA is a document to be proud of and demonstrates The Movement Cooperative’s deep commitment to the progressive values we espouse and work in service of. This CBA—and others like it across our ecosystem—is essential to the long-term health of our movement.”
Key provisions of the CBA include:
A minimum starting salary of $70,000 for all Bargaining Unit positions across all departments
Guaranteed annual cost-of-living adjustments and progressive salary bands
A flexible, 72-hour biweekly work schedule
Required minimum yearly vacation leave and a paid 6-week sabbatical every 4 years of service
A commitment between TMC management and the Union to create an equitable workplace that seeks out, retains, and supports the advancement of people of color, disabled people, gender-oppressed people, and LGBTQ+ individuals
A commitment for TMC to preference unionized contractors and vendors to provide products and services
Generous professional and personal development stipends, some of which may be allocated for student loan repayment
Reflecting on the finalization of the collective bargaining unit, TMC Staff Union member Hannah Wang said:
“I am so grateful for the work the bargaining committee has accomplished in coming to an agreement with management that truly benefits us all. I’m proud to be part of the union and excited for what's to come!”
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TMC Contact: MC Brower, TMC Associate Director of Digital Communications & Strategy
Email: mc@movementcooperative.org
NPEU Contact: Heather Cushman, NPEU Data and Communications Organizer,
Email: hcushman@npeu.org
About the Movement Cooperative
The Movement Cooperative (TMC) is a hub for collaboration, learning, mutualism, and amplification for the progressive community. Founded in 2018, we democratize access to data and help our members use their data in the real world — building long-term power in our communities, winning elections, and creating targeted strategies that result in meaningful change. TMC provides data infrastructure, technological support, collectively bargained tool rates, communal projects, academic-quality research services, events, and community space for over 80 of the nation's most impactful progressive organizations and over 1,400 affiliate organizations. TMC currently warehouses over 116 terabytes of data, an amount equal to about one-tenth of the data digitally stored by the Library of Congress.
About NPEU
The Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU), Local 70 of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, represents professionals employed at more than 50 nonprofit organizations (and counting), 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.