Labor Union

Non-Profit Employees Union (NPEU)

Website:

npeu.org

Location:

Washington, DC

Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(5)

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The Non-Profit Employees Union (NPEU) is a labor union that represents employees at more than a dozen left-of-center non-profit organizations, mostly in Washington, D.C.

NPEU is a local affiliate (Local 70) of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), an international labor union affiliated with the AFL-CIO labor union federation.

Background

IFPTE Local 70 was formed in 1998 after a group of nonprofit employees at the labor union-backed think tank Economic Policy Institute (EPI) contacted IFPTE about creating a union. The union is headquartered within EPI’s Washington, D.C. offices. 1

IFPTE Local 70 was rebranded as NPEU after the AFL-CIO conducted a survey of non-unionized professionals in 2016 to determine how to overcome union-skeptical attitudes and organize workers in white-collar professions. The rebranding included adopting the NPEU name, and developing a new website and logo that “spoke to similarly employed professionals.” 2 As part of its outreach after rebranding, NPEU placed “adver-torials,” or paid advertisements that resembled articles, in publications read widely in the non-profit sector. 3

Workplaces Organized

NPEU represents employees at more than a dozen left-of-center nonprofit organizations, including the American Friends Service Committee, Center for Economic and Policy Research, International Labor Rights Foundation, Democracy Collaborative, Action Squared, Jews for Justice, and the environmentalist group SumofUs. 4

As a local affiliate of the IFPTE, the union does not file its own financial reports or otherwise disclose its budget.

Labor Actions

In November 2019, NPEU filed an unfair labor practices action against the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE). In November 2018, NCTE staff had asked for voluntary recognition of their union (in lieu of a union election), but NCTE management allegedly used union-busting tactics and never recognized the union. According to NPEU, after NCTE staff walked out in protest in August 2019, management began discharging union-eligible employees in order to bust the proposed union. 5

References

  1. “About IFPTE Local 70.” Non-Profit Employees Union. Accessed January 27, 2020. https://npeu.org/about-1
  2. “Reaching the Unorganized.” AFL-CIO. October 18, 2018. Accessed January 27, 2020. https://medium.com/@DPEaflcio/reaching-the-unorganized-290a9abad83f
  3. Kayla Blado and John Schmitt. “Unions help address the unique needs of nonprofit workers.” The Hill. September 16, 2018. Accessed January 27, 2020. https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/406545-unions-help-address-the-unique-needs-of-nonprofit-workers
  4. Local Directory.” International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers. Accessed January 27, 2020. http://www.ifpte.org/about/local-directory/
  5. Aimee Ortiz. “National Transgender Group Sees Exodus of Workers in Clashes With Leaders.” New York Times. November 16, 2019. Accessed January 27, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/16/us/open-letter-National-Center-for-Transgender-Equality.html
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Non-Profit Employees Union (NPEU)

1225 Eye St. NW
Suite 600
Washington, DC