Workers at Pathfinders Milwaukee have petitioned the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for a Union Election to join Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) Local 39. Organizing under the name Pathfinders Employee Collective, more than 70% of staff have signed Union Authorization Cards. Workers at the non-profit perform a number of essential roles supporting homeless and runaway youth in the area. Workers recently rallied in front of Pathfinders’ Offices to demand voluntary recognition so they can begin bargaining a contract with better safety standards and protections, higher wages, organizational transparency and greater decision-making power. “Staff working conditions and impactful, trauma-informed client services are intrinsically tied together,” Rachel Janiak, a Street Outreach Coordinator, said. “If staff come to work feeling unsupported, or unsafe, it can lead to burnout. That takes away from the consistency and support our youth are searching for.” Pathfinders Development Specialist Michael Clouthier added: “Pathfinders has always prided themselves on their ‘Nothing for us without us’ philosophy toward programming. Now that the Workers are Unionizing, we can show the community that we advocate for our youth while holistically practicing the tenets of a trauma-informed, empowerment-focused organization!”

For More On This Organizing Labor News Story, Go To: Pathfinders Employee Collective Goes Public — OPEIU Local 39

OPEIU Local 39 Provided Photo.