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Season 6, Episode 85

SPWU President stresses union solidarity amid nonprofit budget cuts

SPWU (1)

 

Guest Name:


Jalen Alexander

Guest Website:


Social Policy Workers United 

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Jalen Alexander, President of the Social Policy Workers United — affiliated with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 57 — joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about the impact of federal funding reductions on nonprofit workers and the importance of union solidarity during layoffs.

Alexander recounted the union's recent contract victory, which included back pay, salary increases and improved working conditions for members at MDRC, a social policy research organization. The union secured a 6 percent minimum salary increase and 12 percent raises over the contract's duration, addressing long-standing issues of poverty wages within the nonprofit sector. This success highlighted the power of collective bargaining in improving workers' lives, even in mission-driven organizations.

However, the celebration was short-lived as federal budget cuts hit MDRC hard, leading to layoffs. Alexander revealed the stark contrast between unionized and non-unionized workers during this process. While 15 non-union employees were immediately terminated, union members received a three-week administrative leave period, allowing time for negotiations and alternatives to be explored. This difference underscored the critical role of union protection during economic downturns and organizational restructuring.

The layoff process exposed troubling behavior from MDRC management, including misleading communication and a refusal to negotiate separation agreements. Alexander described how the union collected information on members' requested changes to severance packages, only to have management abruptly reject all modifications. This experience reinforced the need for strong union representation and highlighted the ongoing challenges workers face, even in organizations dedicated to studying policies affecting low-income populations.

Listen to the full episode to hear more about the ongoing struggle for workers' rights in the nonprofit sector.


America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

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