For Immediate Release
Media Contacts:
Reggie Rucker | [email protected] | 202.827.1210 x255
Molly Thul | [email protected] | 612.757.9258
WASHINGTON, DC (October 28, 2022) – Institute for Local Self-Reliance leadership and staff are thrilled to announce the ratification of the organization’s first union contract today. Following a collective-bargaining process that began just over a year ago, today’s announcement is a testament to ILSR’s commitment to a workplace where staff members are empowered and supported.
“This contract is a major win for the staff of ILSR and the organization as a whole,” said Ron Knox, a senior researcher at the Institute and a negotiating committee member. “This contract not only ensures better pay and benefits for staff, but it allows the Institute to reflect its mission of building vibrant, democratic institutions and ensuring that we all have power over our lives.”
The ILSR Staff Union is a member of the Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) Local 12. It is currently made up of 13 ILSR staff members, who noted that their goals for forming the union included promoting transparency, ensuring equity, and increasing staff well-being. The newly ratified contract does just that. Highlights include:
- Robust salary scale with a $55,000 floor for new, entry-level hires with minimal experience
- Guaranteed yearly tenure and cost-of-living salary increases for all staff, plus additional longevity increases for staff with 4+ years at ILSR
- 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave (FMLA) Accelerated vacation accrual schedule
- Paid personal days
“Completing this step is a significant milestone in our organization’s history. It reinforces ILSR’s commitment to the well-being of its staff and ensuring that everyone who works here feels a true sense of place, purpose, and belonging,” said ILSR Co-Directors John Farrell and Stacy Mitchell. “With this agreement, we are now better positioned than ever to further our mission of building local power and fighting corporate control.”
About the Institute for Local Self-Reliance
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance has a vision of thriving, equitable communities. We are a national research and advocacy organization that partners with allies across the country to build an American economy driven by local priorities and accountable to people and the planet.
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