This feels like it was out of nowhere, and is a personal attack on leadership.
We understand that our decision to unionize may feel sudden or unexpected to some, especially newer employees who may not have been part of earlier conversations about workplace concerns. We also recognize that for leadership, who have poured their heart and soul into building Generation Hope, this news may feel deeply personal and even hurtful.
We want to emphasize that our unionization effort is not a personal attack on leadership or a reflection of individual failings. Rather, it is a response to systemic issues and challenges that have persisted despite good faith efforts to address them through existing channels. In many cases, employees may have hesitated to speak out about these issues due to fear of retaliation, a sense of powerlessness, or a belief that their concerns would not be taken seriously. The turnover rate alone at the organization reflects the need for greater collaboration in order to make Generation Hope the strongest it can be.
It's also important to acknowledge that union drives often come as a surprise to leadership because of the very power dynamics and communication barriers that make them necessary in the first place. When employees feel that they cannot safely or effectively voice their concerns through official channels, they may turn to more covert forms of organizing and solidarity-building. This can create a disconnect between leadership's perception of the organization and the lived reality of employees on the ground.
We are deeply grateful for Nicole's visionary leadership in creating and growing Generation Hope. We are committed to the mission and believe that unionizing can help the organization continue to thrive. By giving employees a voice and advocating for the resources they need, unions can foster a more engaged, resilient workforce, leading to better outcomes for the communities we serve. We are eager to work with leadership to find a path forward that honors our shared values and mission.
Unions are great, but they don’t belong here.
Many progressive non-profits (from art museums to the ACLU to farmers markets to yes, small community based non-profits) are unionized and most have their union voluntarily recognized by their leadership. We are not Amazon or Starbucks. We are a values-to-action driven non-profit, full of talented, intelligent staff that has transformed Generation Hope into a national force for change. Unionbusting should have no home here.
Generation Hope's staff are among the best in the nation for advocating for teen parents, student parents, and families. But we also have the right to advocate for ourselves. Our desire to unionize stems from a deep commitment to the organization's values and a belief that collective action can lead to positive outcomes for everyone involved.
Unions take necessary resources away from the organization.
Many of the "resources" that unions advocate for - things like fair pay, good healthcare, safe working conditions, due process, etc. - are in fact essential investments in human capital that contribute to the long-term success and sustainability of an organization.
Staff has been raising concerns for years that the organization was growing too fast to be able to adequately keep up with staff support. This is reinforced by the turnover rate at Generation Hope over the last year (from May 2023 to May 2024).
We want to be fully transparent about how we calculate turnover, the methodology, and why it matters: Since May 2023, 17 staff members have voluntarily left or had their positions terminated. The average number of employees at Generation Hope over the past year is 41.3, meaning the overall turnover rate for the last year is 41.2%
What it measures: The turnover rate measures the percentage of employees who left the organization during the specified period (May 2023 to May 2024) compared to the average number of employees during that same period.
What it means: A turnover rate of 41.2% from May 2023 to May 2024 indicates that nearly 4 in 10 of the average number of employees left the organization during this one-year period. The average annual company turnover rate overall is 12%. For non-profit organizations it’s 19%.
Turnover here is already double the average at other non profits; we don’t want it to worsen. We don’t want to leave Generation Hope. We want staff to be fully equipped to excel in their position, feel valued, and grow. Unionizing is a means to support better turnover rates, not a barrier. Turnover is extremely costly for an organization, and unionization directly increases job satisfaction.
The union will / has already created divisions.
It’s important to remember that none of this needed to unfold this way. Leadership has chosen not to voluntarily recognize the union after being presented with a letter that confirmed that union authorization cards had been signed by a strong majority of staff. This process is legally enshrined; there aren’t ambiguities about how it’s done or if everyone’s voices were heard.
Leadership has chosen to spend thousands of dollars on union busting legal counsel, PR firms, and bringing in legal training for supervisory staff that is at best divisive and at worst troublingly intimidating. We are honestly flabbergasted by the level of this anti-union response from a progressive non-profit. We are committed to Generation Hope and the work it does — that’s why we are unionizing.
Despite these challenges, we remain committed to working in good faith with leadership to find a path forward that honors our shared values and mission. We believe that by engaging in open, honest dialogue and treating each other with respect and empathy, we can overcome any divisions and build a stronger, more united Generation Hope. Our goal is not to create conflict or undermine the important work of the organization, but rather to ensure that all employees have a voice in shaping their working conditions and advocating for the resources and support they need to thrive.
We already listen to you and have an open door policy at Generation Hope between staff and leadership.
Unions offer a way to address these concerns and provide a more secure and effective means for employees to voice their opinions and advocate for their needs. Through collective bargaining, unions can negotiate for stronger protections around employee privacy, anonymity, and the right to opt-out of non-essential surveys or feedback mechanisms. Unions also provide a structured framework for employees to raise concerns and grievances without fear of retaliation, as well as a legal mandate for employers to engage in good faith negotiations to address these issues. By empowering workers to have a stronger voice in shaping their workplace conditions, unions can help to create a more equitable, transparent, and accountable organizational culture that benefits everyone.
We frequently enact change on your feedback.
We were thrilled to read that leadership made some changes to PTO and salary bands, in addition to the benefits working group and introduction of a policy handbook. Again, this came about only after years of advocating for those changes.
But we don’t believe it goes far enough, and we’d like to ensure that staff voices are reflected in the development of policies. A sample of what we are fighting for:
Company-wide policies that are applied consistently and fairly, with clear enforcement mechanisms and input from employees at all levels, rather than being left to the discretion of individual directors or leaders
Health insurance that is truly accessible, affordable, and meets the needs of diverse families and chosen families, taking into account not just premium costs but also overall expenses like deductibles and co-pays
Hybrid work policies and travel policies that protect work-life balance, set clear boundaries, are consistent across departments, and ensure that employees have a say in when and how they are required to work in the office or travel for work
Fair compensation for staff whose specific skills and lived experiences, such as Spanish language proficiency, are essential to their job duties, in compliance with legal requirements
PTO payout upon separation, as mandated by DC law, to ensure that earned time off is properly compensated
A fair and transparent process for performance management, including clear targets and due process for discipline and termination decisions
A formal process for reporting, investigating, and addressing discrimination and harassment in the workplace, ensuring that all employees are treated with respect and dignity, and that any incidents of discrimination are promptly and effectively resolved, with mechanisms in place to ensure the process is followed
The union is an external force that will come between us.
It's important to understand that unions are not inherently adversarial or aimed at "inserting themselves" between leadership and staff. Rather, unions provide a structured framework for employees to collectively advocate for their rights, benefits, and working conditions. They promote open communication, transparency, and fairness in the workplace. There is no external union inserting itself into the organization. We are the union, and we can stand together. We sought Workers United out to assist us in collective bargaining and elevating our collective voice, not the other way around.
The union is going to take money from you.
According to research, after accounting for factors such as demographics, location, and labor market conditions, workers who were members of a union earned 22% higher wages compared to those who were not part of a union in 2009.
The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) also released a report that highlights additional benefits of being a union member. The report reveals that a significant majority of unionized workers, 95%, have access to health benefits provided by their employers, while only 68% of non-union workers enjoy the same advantage. Furthermore, 93% of workers in unions have the ability to take paid sick leave, whereas only 75% of non-union workers have access to this benefit.
The fact is that very little research that shows that the cost of union membership outweighs the many, many financial benefits it brings to employees — in fact almost all research only shows the opposite. Union dues are often about 1% of a salary, but frequently pay out much more in benefits.
Unionization will negatively impact Black leaders or hinder the organization's commitment to race equity.
Unions have historically been and continue to be a crucial force in advancing racial justice and equity in the workplace. By bringing workers together to advocate for fair treatment, better working conditions, and equal opportunities, unions help to dismantle systemic barriers and discrimination. It is important to note that the majority of our proposed bargaining unit consists of people of color, the majority of our organizing committee are people of color, and our collective voice is essential in shaping an organization that truly lives up to its values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Unionization is not a threat to Black leadership or to the organization's commitment to race equity. In fact, unions can be powerful allies in the fight for racial justice, both within the workplace and in the broader community. By ensuring that all employees have a seat at the table and a voice in shaping the policies and practices that affect their lives, unions can help to create a more equitable and inclusive organizational culture that benefits everyone.
Moreover, it is crucial to recognize that the issues that drive unionization - such as inconsistent policy application, lack of transparency, and inadequate support for staff well-being - can disproportionately impact employees of color, who may face additional barriers and challenges in the workplace. By addressing these issues through collective bargaining and advocacy, unions can help to level the playing field and ensure that all employees have access to the resources, support, and opportunities they need to thrive.
Ultimately, our unionization effort is not about undermining Black leadership or compromising the organization's commitment to race equity. It is about building a stronger, more equitable Generation Hope that empowers all of its employees to show up as their full selves and do their best work in service of our mission.
You are whitewashing the history of unions in the United States.
While unions have played a vital role in advancing workers' rights and economic justice, it's true that the labor movement has not always been inclusive of people of color. Many unions historically excluded Black workers from membership or relegated them to segregated locals. This mirrored and compounded the systemic racism pervasive in other American institutions like higher education, housing, non-profit/charity work, and employment. It is inaccurate and unfair to suggest that unions are uniquely affected by systemic racism today. To equate our current unionization effort with the historic injustices and exclusion of the labor movement over a century ago is alarmingly reductive, especially when we consider that systemic racism continues to impact many of the very institutions and communities that Generation Hope serves today.
Unions have also served as vehicles for empowering workers of color and driving societal change. The Civil Rights Movement and the Labor Movement were deeply intertwined in the 1960s. Black labor leaders like A. Philip Randolph, Bayard Rustin, and Cleveland Robinson helped organize the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. Several major unions, such as the United Auto Workers (UAW), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), both endorsed and mobilized for the march. Union members participated in large numbers. Unions like the United Auto Workers continued to provide critical financial support to civil rights organizations.
Today, workers of color are more likely to be union members than white workers. Unions continue to advocate for policies that benefit marginalized communities, such as raising the minimum wage, expanding healthcare access, and protecting immigrant rights. However, more work remains to build a fully inclusive labor movement and ensure diversity in union leadership.
In this context, our union can be part of the solution. With a majority people of color bargaining unit and organizing committee, we have an opportunity to help shape a union that truly embodies antiracist values. Advocating for transparent, equitable policies and support for employees of color is itself a form of racial justice work.