Unions for Peer Organizations
There is a growing curiosity and shift towards unionizing nationally and globally. Many nonprofits, policy think tanks, and research organizations in public and private sectors have unions! These include the Center for American Progress (CAP), Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), Economic Policy Institute (EPI), Brennan Center, and the list is growing! The Urban Institute received voluntary recognition of their union in May 2021, and employees at Brookings asked for recognition this spring. Below is a table of some orgs, their union sites, and their union socials. You can also find more on the NPEU site here as well as news of agreements and voluntary recognitions achieved as recently as Dec. 2, 2024.
| Organization | Announcement and wins | Social Media |
| Urban Institute | Urban Institute Staff Union Receives Voluntary Recognition Urban Institute and Urban Institute Employees Union Reach Historic Collective Bargaining Agreement | |
| MDRC | MDRC Voluntarily Recognizes Social Policy Workers United | |
| Brooking Institution | The Brookings Institution and Staff Union Reach First Agreement | |
Guttmacher Institute | Guttmacher institute employees win union election | |
| Economic Policy Institute | EPI is listed on the NPEU site | |
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Management and Staff Ratify First Contract | N/A |
National Women's Law Center | National Women's Law Center and NWLC United Sign First Collective Bargaining Agreement | |
| National Partnership for Women & Families | National Partnership for Women & Families Staff Union Wins Recognition Joins Nonprofit Professional Employees Union | N/A |
| The Century Foundation | The Century Foundation and Staff Union Sign Collective Bargaining Agreement |
What have unions achieved for our peer organizations?
Unions have won a lot for their members and organizations at large. Research shows unions serve families, the economy, and democracy at large. Additionally, unions at organizations are able to solidify existing policies while also introducing new wins—some examples of what unions at other social policy research orgs are listed below. You can also see additional examples here from the Center for American Progress’s wins and the National Women's Law Center contract.
- Higher salaries at every level band
- Guaranteed annual raise amounts
- Wage floors
- 80 hours of COVID-specific leave
- Additional parental and bereavement leave
- Revamped promotion processes
- Procedures to limit overtime work
- Reduced hours every Friday
- Minimum of 4-weeks severance pay, including healthcare
Learn more about the process of forming a union and negotiating a union contract here.