The M+R Union ratified its second collective bargaining agreement with 100% of its 72 members voting yes, the group announced on Tuesday. M+R Union represents staffers at M+R, a firm that works for nonprofits “fighting for a just and sustainable world.”
The biggest win is a new compensation structure with a $62.4k floor. Members will get a median raise of $10k and a median bonus of $6.5k at ratification, with the biggest raises going to those who currently earn the least.
Salaries will increase annually, and union-members are guaranteed 3% annual cost-of-living raises. “If your rent goes up, your salary should too,” union members said in their announcement tweet.
The new agreement replaces five separate pay scales with one, which union members say will address issues of pay equity.
“I feel so proud. I think we landed in an awesome spot,” said Bianca Sacco-Calderone, an account supervisor who chaired the union bargaining committee. Committee members spent much of the last year thinking about what they wanted to change in their first contract. When they surveyed members, virtually everyone said a single pay scale was essential.
The bargaining process started with noneconomic issues, Sacco-Calderone said, and, “There was some friction, but negotiations went fairly well,” with both sides committing to policies based on dignity and mutual respect.
But “Things got a little contentious when we started talking about issues that had explicit dollar values.”
When salary negotiations got heated, workers launched a work-to-rule action with strict 8-hour workdays.
They also used internal email autoresponders. For an entire day, anyone within the company who emailed a union-member received a bargaining update email.
And because workers knew that some of their staunched allies were outside of the company, they adopted public-facing email signatures that said, “M+R staff are fighting for a fair contract and we need your support. Find out more here,” with a link to the union’s website.
“We knew we were taking a risk,” Sacco-Calderone said, but management didn’t openly react or retaliate. Other coordinated actions included taking over company-wide Slack channels and packing bargaining sessions, which were held on Zoom.
In addition to pay increases, union members won improved benefits. The new contract replaces their for-profit insurance plan with union insurance, with the company paying 100% of healthcare premiums. “For some members, that’s as much as $10.5k back in our pockets every year,” the union wrote.
The employer will continue to contribute 1.5% to employees’ 401(k) accounts, but the company match to employees’ contributions will increase from a 50% match up to 3% to a 100% match.
Vacation time will start at 15 days and increase every two years of service, and employees will be eligible for 15 days of paid sick time.
Sacco-Calderone is especially proud of the inclusive policies they were able to negotiate by “getting rid of old, traditional definitions of ‘family members.’” Under the new contract, employees will be eligible for caregiving and bereavement leave for anyone considered a loved one.
Parental and caregiving leave will be available sooner, beginning three months after an employee’s starting date, up from one year. Recognizing the trauma of miscarriages and stillbirths, the new contract allows for two weeks of leave to employees who face them.
Workers also won an explicit commitment to hiring a diverse staff, and a requirement that M+R solicit at least 30% of applicants from underrepresented backgrounds for any open job. The new contract also includes an anti-discrimination clause that goes far above the legal minimum, protecting gender expression, weight, hair, medical history, criminal record and status as an abuse survivor.
The agreement calls for flexible work schedules and the option to work remotely – with a stipend.
M+R Union credited solidarity and collective action for their accomplishments. “Our unit was optimistic, committed, and outspoken during the bargaining period,” they tweeted.
“We’re so proud of these wins and we’re confident that this new contract will be a huge part of what makes M+R one of the best firms to work for. PS: We’re hiring! Respectable salaries. Remote options. And a union that has your back.”