This Labor Day, Remember There Is Power in a Union

NCRP knows there is power in a union. Whether we’re highlighting the great work of grassroots organizers or keeping a close eye on the power of organized money in America, our work in the philanthropic sector often dovetails with that of our country’s robust labor movement. For more than a century, organized labor has been a pillar of progressive politics, providing the financial heft and people power to counter policies that hurt the poor, people of color and other underserved groups. Labor Day is a time to celebrate this righteous shared history, and plan together for a more just society.

Recently, NCRP moved our organization’s banking business to Amalgamated Bank, an institution owned by unions that, more and more, is proving itself a major player in the world of progressive causes. We were pleased to see this role explored in a recent New York Times article that highlighted the bank’s commitment to workers’ rights and their innovative work with progressive electoral campaigns. The labor movement has been buffeted by political headwinds in recent years, but Amalgamated Bank’s rise demonstrates that there is still a place for strong, democratizing labor organizations in our country.

NCRP Executive Director Aaron Dorfman said of the switch,

“We wanted the organization’s accounts to be with a bank that was fundamentally aligned with NCRP’s values and our vision for society, and that could also meet our banking needs. After exploring our options, it was clear that Amalgamated was the right choice.”

NCRP understands that the ties that bind organized labor to the philanthropic sector are deep and strong. Philanthropy that empowers marginalized communities and prioritizes their voices in discussions to develop solutions to systemic inequality is a natural complement to labor organizing. Many of the leading progressive foundations also top the list of funders who give to labor rights work. Many of them — more than a third – are also NCRP supporters.

Top Ten Funders of Labor Rights Work in 2012

(From NCRP analysis of Foundation Center data)

Foundation	Total Given to Labor Rights Work in 2012
National Endowment for Democracy	$14,647,080
Public Welfare Foundation, Inc.*	$7,036,500
Ford Foundation*	$4,137,500
Humanity United	$3,695,732
Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock*	$1,945,000
Surdna Foundation, Inc.*	$1,343,000
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation*	$885,000
Foundation to Promote Open Society	$546,356
General Service Foundation	$447,400
The William Penn Foundation	$362,801

*NCRP supporters

In addition to NCRP’s organizational alignment with the labor movement, through our shared vision for a fair, just and democratic society, our staff feels both personal and professional connections to organized labor. Here are a few of our stories:

“My grandfather was part of a team that wrote the National Labor Relations Act in 1935, giving organized labor collective bargaining rights. I’m very proud of that! One of my earliest childhood memories was making picket signs in our family’s garage. My father was president of the local teachers’ union at the time, and they were preparing for a strike.”

– Aaron Dorfman, Executive Director

“My dad is a member of an AFL-CIO fire officers’ union and two federal credit unions. When I bought my first car, I used a credit union loan. I’m very excited that NCRP has joined Amalgamated – I’ve already opened a new account!”

– Caitlin Duffy, Project Associate

“My mom was in a teachers’ union her whole career, and though D.C. public schools have long been Congress’s plaything, the union protected her and her colleagues and allowed my family to stay in the middle class. Growing up in suburban Washington, many of the other middle-class Black people I knew had unionized jobs, and many were first-generation college students and/or had grown up in poverty. I saw how important unions were to their success.”

–Jeanné Isler, Field Director

“One of my earliest memories of unions was when a middle school friend invited me to a picnic with her family. I didn’t know what to expect, but it turned out her mom belonged to a union and this was a family outing sponsored by the local chapter. I was impressed by the close-knit sense of community and comradery. Later, one of my first jobs after college was working for a public agency in New York City, where I was in an AFSCME local chapter. I saw how the union protected us and ensured important benefits, like health care, and even having Election Day off so we could vote.”

–Lisa Ranghelli, Director of Foundation Assessment

“My father and grandfather were both engineers and union members in Chicago’s public schools. The union helped my dad fight back against unfair treatment from management. The union also connected him to a group of other Black engineers called S.T.E.A.M. It was an important part of his career.”

–Janay Richmond, Field Associate

While I’ve never been a union member myself, many of my relatives made the transition from farms to factories in the 1920s and 30s, and joined unions once they began working for companies like General Motors, Maytag and AK Steel. Growing up in Ohio, I heard stories from family elders about the extreme hardship of life on farms, and about the economic security that came from joining a union. Organized labor protected my grandparents and great-grandparents and made my life better for it.

NCRP hopes you enjoy your Labor Day holiday. Take a moment this weekend to reflect on the power of organized labor as a force for good in our society. How have unions shaped your life? How does your workplace reflect the important changes wrought by labor over the decades? Let us know on social media (@NCRP) or in the comments what a union means to you.

Ryan Schlegel is research and policy associate at the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP). Follow @NCRP on Twitter.