(NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS) - Workers employed at the Cooperative Development Institute (CDI) are celebrating the formation of their Union - CDI Workers United (CDIWU), after receiving voluntary recognition from their employer.

The Workers, who are represented by the Providence Newspaper Guild/The NewsGuild-CWA Local 31041, organized around shared priorities including meaningful participation in workplace decisions, transparency, accountability, equitable working conditions, and a desire to strengthen communication across programs and throughout the organization.

“We organized because we believe deeply in CDI and in the cooperative values that guide our work,” CDIWU Member Addy Schuetz said. “Every day, we help communities build structures that give people a meaningful voice in the decisions that affect them. We believe Workers deserve that same opportunity. Forming CDI Workers United gives us a way to bring those values more fully into our own workplace and to work together toward a stronger, more sustainable CDI.”

Voluntary recognition means CDIWU - which represents 30 Workers, and CDI leadership can move directly toward bargaining on a first contract without the need for a formal Union Election.

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