The Progressive Workers Union (PWU) is a far-left labor union that represents employees at left-wing nonprofits. As of 2020, the PWU claimed over 500 members at 350.org, Greenpeace, Appalachian Voices, and the Union of Concerned Scientists, though up to 400 of its members are at the Sierra Club, where most of the PWU’s current and former leadership work. ^{1 2 3} In May 2023, the PWU filed two complaints against the Sierra Club due to a restructuring of the organization that was intending to lay off many union members.

The PWU was originally known as John Muir Local 100 to Progressive Workers Union. ⁴ It is independent of a national labor union federation as of the end of 2022. ⁵

Members

UCS United

UCS United, the Progressive Workers Union division established to represent employees of the Union of Concerned Scientists, was led by “BIPOC staff surfacing issues within UCS,” including unaccountable managers, an unresponsive human resources department, and “inequities with pay, promotions, and working conditions.” A major catalyst for action was complaints made by employees about UCS associating with individuals “whose history of anti-immigration and population control work is troubling.” Management’s response to its staff over these concerns allegedly “[exhibited] the power and privilege that plays into UCS governance, coupled with displays of white fragility.” Union organizers felt they were being told, “If you disagree with decision-making structures that support white supremacy culture and reinforce the power imbalances of the status quo, you can leave UCS.” ⁶

Two open letters written by former staff members reveal some of the complaints made by unionizing employees. For instance, some non-white staff members expressed complaints that there were not enough non-white managers at the UCS, but management “would repeatedly say that they wouldn’t force people leave or retire from UCS to make way for diverse leadership. This rhetoric shifted the issue into a (false) zero-sum situation where BIPOC staff (especially junior staff) were smeared as going after people’s jobs.” ⁷

Other concerns reflected issues of communication and alleged personal discrimination from white staff members: “White managers often undermined BIPOC staff, and other white managers would protect and enable them. One such staff was Liz Schmitt. After failing to show up on time for a webinar and neglecting to attend the prep meeting, she weaponized white woman tears to blame an Asian American employee and a Black employee for not preparing her on the webinar technology.” ⁸

Official union organizing began in the Spring of 2019 while the staff was “suffering microaggressions” and “feeling disempowered and demoralized by the displays from our management.” The plan drawn up by the organizers “[focused] on creating a structure that uproots patriarchal and white supremacy systems and that reflects the inclusive, equitable culture we seek to create.” ⁹

Over the following year, the organizers communicated with numerous unions and met with representatives from Communications Workers of America, United Auto Workers, the Non-Profit Employees Union, and the Progressive Workers Union. The organizers ultimately chose the PWU because of the cultural fit, which includes “centering the experiences and concerns of Women, BIPOC staff, and other marginalized staff.” ¹⁰

In August 2020, UCS United was launched within PWU. ¹¹

Sierra Club

In 2020, after nine months of negotiations and three years of organizing, a UCS union with 140 members was organized at the Sierra Club with a five-year collective bargaining agreement. The agreement was intended to bring “pay equity” between union members, who are based in regional Sierra Club chapters, and Sierra Club National employees, and introduce numerous new employee benefits, including a holiday on Juneteenth and presidential election days. ¹²

Before a series of layoffs initiated in early 2023, the PWU represented about 400 of the Sierra Club’s 800 employees. The PWU has filed two labor complaints against the Sierra Club to the National Labor Relations Board for its restructuring, which Sierra Club executive director Ben Jealous claimed would help him in dealing with a $40 million annual deficit he inherited. ¹³

Much of the PWU’s leadership worked at the Sierra Club during the unionization process, including president C.J. Garcia-Linz, former president Zachary Gerdes, former president Neha Mathew-Shah, and vice president Eva Resnik-Day. ^{14 15 16}

Leadership

President

C.J. Garcia-Linz is the president of the Progressive Workers Union and is an employee of the Sierra Club. ¹⁷

Zachary Gerdes was previously listed as the PWU president on its 2020 tax return. ¹⁸ Gerdes has worked at the Sierra Club since 2019, including when it formed its PWU union, and is currently a senior campaign representative. Gerdes was previously a philanthropy fellow at the Pisces Foundation, and a fossil free fellow at 350.org. ¹⁹

Neha Mathew-Shah was a co-founder of the PWU and previously served as president from 2018 to 2020, as vice president from 2017 to 2018, and as trustee from 2016 to 2017. From 2012 to 2023, Mathew-Shah worked at the Sierra Club in a variety of roles, ending her employment as associate director. She was present at the company when its employees formed their PWU union. Mathew-Shah is also a board secretary and co-founder of Rise to Thrive, a platform that helps users develop healthy habits. ²⁰

Larry Williams Jr. was the co-founder and first president of the PWU from 2016 through 2018. ²¹ Williams Jr. is the executive director at Black Men Vote. In 2015, Williams Jr. founded Union Base, a website that hosts the PWU. ²² He formerly served as executive director at the Labor Network for Sustainability, as a labor coordinator at the Sierra Club, and in various roles with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. ²³

Other Positions

Leah Clyburn is the Vice-President of the PWU as of January 2024. She previously worked as the co-head steward within the Sierra Club National Unit and served as a community organizer within the state of Missouri. ²⁴

Eva Resnik-Day was previously listed as the vice president of the PWU on its 2020 tax return. ²⁵  She is a Pittsburgh community organizer for the Sierra Club, and previously worked as a democracy organizer and national coordinator for Greenpeace. ²⁶

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