August 21, 2024
Members of The Bird Union/CWA Build Nationwide Solidarity as Audubon Leadership Continues Stalling Two and a Half Years Into Bargaining
Bird Union to Audubon CEO Dr. Gray: “We will not back down.”
NATIONWIDE – National Audubon Society workers with The Bird Union have announced a three-day Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike to start on Tuesday, September 10, in response to the nonprofit’s continued violation of workers’ rights under federal labor laws. The strike comes as members of The Bird Union, represented by Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1180, approach their third year of contract negotiations with the national nonprofit. On Tuesday, negotiations stalled once again, with Audubon refusing to address union members' concerns.
Earlier this month, after years of workers sounding the alarm on Audubon’s toxic culture, the National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint against Audubon for violating federal labor laws in contract negotiations with the Bird Union-CWA Local 1180, including by refusing to bargain over minimum salaries and making unilateral changes to healthcare, which raised costs for union members.
In announcing their strike, The Bird Union/CWA released the following statement:
“For two and a half years, Audubon workers with The Bird Union have sat at the bargaining table with the goal of implementing just policies for workers of all backgrounds and securing good pay and benefits that allow us to live balanced lives and do our jobs protecting birds to the best of our ability. In turn, Audubon has broken the law by illegally union-busting and refusing to bargain with us in good faith. On Tuesday, negotiations stalled once again, with Audubon’s negotiators failing to remedy our outstanding ULPs.
“We want to be clear when we say: We will not back down. On Saturday, we held our largest national day of action to date, with support from elected leaders, labor allies, and colleagues across the environmental nonprofit space. We are building solidarity like never before, and on September 10, we will be bringing our movement to the picket line.
“For more than two years, we chose not to strike, but it’s become increasingly clear that we have no other option if we truly want to reform Audubon’s toxic culture from the ground-up. On September 10, we will be walking off the job for us, for our families, and for the birds.”
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About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.
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