The Chief reports more than 600 Workers from New York City’s two largest Prison Re-Entry Organizations have gone public with their Unionization efforts. Staff at Fortune Society and the Osborne Association are calling for improved wages, benefits and working conditions. The two Unions represent more than 400 Workers at Fortune Society and around 200 Workers at the Osborne Association. They’re joining forces in Local 153 of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU). Osborne Association’s Workers began organizing last Summer and their peers at Fortune Society followed in the Fall. Many of them went through the Justice System themselves. Caleb Knight, the Creative Arts Senior Associate at Fortune Society, is among the 50% of the organization’s Staff with a history in the Justice System: “We are the lifeblood of the agency. We’re here because ‘we care and believe’ in the work we do. This is why we’re building our Union, because we as Workers deserve the same respect, dignity and care that we show to the participants we work with.”

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