Bird Union-CWA Local 1180 Holds Practice Picket in Preparation for Audubon Strike

After Audubon violates labor laws, workers prepare for national strike

NEW YORK – After two and a half years of prolonged negotiations, workers at the National Audubon Society are ramping up their mobilization for a fair contract and preparing for the possibility of a strike. Members of the Bird Union-CWA Local 1180 held a practice picket outside the National Audubon Society headquarters in New York. This summer, Bird Union-CWA Local 1180 members have held practice pickets and other strike preparation actions in 26 states and the District of Columbia as part of a national mobilization effort.

Workers at the National Audubon Society organized their union to address pervasive problems in the workplace that contribute to higher turnover rates and undermine the workers’ ability to focus on the nonprofit’s conservation mission. Delay tactics and bad faith bargaining by Audubon’s paid negotiators have prevented the union workers and the organization from moving forward to reaching a fair contract.

The National Labor Relations Board found merit to charges that Audubon violated federal labor law by making unilateral changes to benefits, refusing to bargain over minimum salaries, and denying union members benefits that were given to non-represented staff. Union staff at Audubon are currently eligible for only two weeks of paid parental leave to care for a newborn, while non-union staff have received enhanced parental leave benefits since the start of contract negotiations.

“We’re out here today because it’s high time that Audubon recognizes the value and dedication of its workers,” said Liz Muñoz Huber, a Bird Union-CWA Local 1180 member on today’s picket line. “We are prepared to take further action to secure the fair contract we deserve.”

“Our members have shown incredible dedication and solidarity over the past two and a half years of negotiations, despite Audubon’s disregard for their rights,” said Gloria Middleton, President of CWA Local 1180. “Our members are disappointed that Audubon would rather face a picket line than address the challenges that they’ve faced in the workplace.”

Bird Union-CWA Local 1180 members were supported on the picket line by elected leaders, including New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, New York City Council Member Lincoln Restler, and Micah Lasher, the Democratic Party nominee for New York State Assembly District 69.

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About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.

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