Announcing Ratification of First Collective Bargaining Agreement With Congressional Progressive Caucus Center Union
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Valeria Mejía-Guevara, NPEU, contact@npeu.org; Hamid Bendaas, CPCC, hamid@progressivecaucuscenter.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 4, 2023) Today the staff union at the CPC Center and the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center announced the end of negotiations and the ratification of their first collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with 100 percent participation and unanimous support. The members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center Union formed their union with the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU) and were voluntarily recognized by management in September 2020.
"We formed our union with a deep commitment to worker power, workplace democracy, and economic and social justice,” said the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center’s Union Bargaining Committee in a collective statement. “This contract reflects our shared vision for an equitable workplace and demonstrates the Center’s enduring dedication to progressive principles and strong worker protections. This agreement serves as a reminder that solidarity, open dialogue, and mutual respect are not just ideals, but the very bedrock upon which an empowering, progressive, and fair workplace can be formed.”
“Unions and collective bargaining are essential to democracy and for justice in the workplace, and the CPC Center and its staff are stronger going forward with this newly ratified contract,” said Gohar Sedighi, Executive Director of CPC Center. “I deeply appreciate the dedication the unit staff and management put into making this contract a reality. We’re excited for this new chapter of working together for racial, economic, climate, reproductive, and gender justice with frontline communities, Congress, and the movement.”
Within their ratified contract, Congressional Progressive Caucus Center employees have secured improvements in pay, paid time off, professional development resources, and more. Contract highlights include:
Immediate raises;
Guaranteed annual salary increases;
Increases in personal, family leave, bereavement, and retirement benefits;
Just Cause protection;
Additional resources for training and professional development;
Commitment on DEI initiatives for a more equitable workplace
“Congratulations to the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center on the ratification of a strong first contract,” said NPEU President Hayley Brown. “This agreement reflects the organization’s commitment to living its progressive values. We’re excited to see them help raise standards in their workplace and our industry.”
About NPEU:
The Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU), a local of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, represents professionals employed at 49 nonprofit organizations (and counting), including employees at Friends of the Earth, Washington Center for Equitable Growth, and Jews United for Justice. With several hundred members, NPEU gives nonprofit workers a voice to strengthen their workplaces and continue to do work that makes a difference in people’s lives.
About the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center:
The Congressional Progressive Caucus Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We work to identify and build solidarity around policies that foster a more just, equitable, and resilient nation. We also demystify government so that every community is empowered to fight for change that will allow all of us to thrive. When national and grassroots organizations work together across issues, lawmakers and those in power are forced to listen. The CPC Center provides the infrastructure necessary for organizations across issues to work together and advance a shared vision of what people-centered policies should look like.