AUSTIN – Every Texan and its staff union, Every Texan United, proudly announce the ratification of their first union contract. Every Texan United is a member of the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU).
Every Texan and the bargaining unit began the 15-month negotiation process in June 2020 after voluntarily recognizing the staff union in February.
“In this historic moment, we celebrate the many months, hours, sweat, and tears the union and management teams sacrificed to create this collaborative vision, and we emerge stronger for their efforts,” said Every Texan CEO Marisa Bono. “For decades, Every Texan has advocated for pro-worker policies at the state level and we’re proud to put the same values into practice at home.”
As a values-driven, equity-committed organization, Every Texan is committed to collaborative and inclusive leadership practices. In Texas, less than 5% of all workers are unionized, largely due to legislation that favors employers and limits union activity. These anti-union and anti-worker policies are precisely what the Every Texan team fights to repeal or fix. Unionization supports the organization’s effort to ensure its internal policies and practices align accordingly.
“Every Texan’s contract shows how partnership between unionized workers and management helps us live our values and advance our mission,” said union member Katie Martin Lightfoot. “We’re excited to see more Texas nonprofits organizing their workplaces and we hope our contract can help raise the bar for our sector here and across the country.”
“Every Texan’s contract illustrates how workers can reimagine what is possible when they come together and will raise workplace standards for all nonprofit workers,” said NPEU President Katie Barrows. “NPEU is incredibly proud to support the leadership of the workers at Every Texan. Every Texan United’s contract is the first NPEU contract in a right-to-work state, and Every Texan United members are showing how much workers in these states want a seat at the table with a strong first contract and with employees choosing to be members and pay dues even if they don’t have to.”
Workers in the nonprofit and social justice spaces are often under-resourced and over-worked. The ongoing pandemic has only exacerbated the uncertainty prevalent among these organizations, placing an additional strain on employees who don’t always have an opportunity to contribute to decisions made regarding their work and livelihoods.
“Just as we believe our state’s greatest resource is its people, Every Texan takes great pride in being a people-centered organization,” said James Aldrete, Every Texan’s board chair. “We want the staff to be confident in their support from management and the board. We are proud of our good-faith, data-driven bargaining process guided by our shared social justice values and look forward to seeing the fruits of our labor as the organization continues to thrive as a statewide leader and policy advocacy powerhouse.”
About Every Texan: Based in Austin, Texas, Every Texan pursues social justice through public policy. Since its founding in 1985, Every Texan (formerly the Center for Public Policy Priorities – CPPP) has expanded opportunity and equity for Texans of all backgrounds. Their dedicated team researches, analyzes, and advocates for public policies to expand equitable access to quality health care, food security, education, and good jobs. Learn more about how Every Texan is making Texas the best state to live in at www.everytexan.org.
About Nonprofit Professional Employees Union: The Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU) represents professionals employed at over a dozen nonprofit organizations, including employees at the Economic Policy Institute, the Center for American Progress, and Community Change. 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. For more information about NPEU, visit www.npeu.org.