First contract win for non-profit Documentary Workers United

A trio of members from the Documentary Workers United (CWA Local 9003), Kenyon Johnson, Anisa Hosseinnezhaf, and Gabriella Ortega Ricketts, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the work done to earn the first contract for the DWU. The group discussed the work done by the International Documentary Association (IDA) and the importance of unions for the non-profit sector.

Ortega Ricketts explained the difficulties of negotiations on a first contract with the IDA. The ratification process was the easy part, but the initial organizing and negotiations proved difficult. The negotiation team began by building solidarity with their team, as many on the team hadn’t interacted before. During bargaining, the IDA turned over its leadership team, and negotiations reset. Thankfully, they were able to fight through the difficulties and ratify a first contract that worked for everyone involved.

The IDA is a non-profit organization that works to support documentary filmmakers every step of the way. Often, non-profit workers don’t think about union representation, as the industry has such high turnover rates due to poor working conditions. There is hope that this contract can turn around the misconceptions about working at a non-profit organization. Every person who works should be able to have a safe working environment, whether that be at a large corporation or a non-profit organization.

The Communication Workers of America Local 9003 mainly worked with technology companies. This was the first time the Local had organized a non-profit documentary filmmaking business. While it was difficult to successfully organize, it was the least they could do for the group of workers who were suffering from terrible workplace environments. For more information on unionizing as non-profit documentary workers, please visit documentaryworkersunited.com.

To hear more about the fight for a new contract by these workers, press play above.