May 15, 2018 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Independent Sector CEO Dan Cardinali said Tuesday that a group of employees at the Washington-based nonprofit membership organization are seeking to unionize. Cardinali said he was unable to say whether his organization would voluntarily recognize an employee union because he doesn’t have enough information about what they are seeking or how many employees might support or oppose such a move.
The internal rumblings come amid major changes at Independent Sector, including an overhaul of its marquee annual conference into something its leaders say will better serve nonprofit leaders across the country.
Cardinali said in an interview with the Chronicle that his senior management team received a letter last week, signed by 11 staff members, two anonymously, requesting voluntary recognition of a union.
It was not immediately clear if the request was precipitated by an incident or problematic event at the organization or if signees cited specific grievances. The Chronicle contacted multiple Independent Sector employees. Two referred questions to an organization spokeswoman, while others did not respond.
Surprise Request
Cardinali said he was unable to share the written request with the Chronicle, although he described it as vague.
“It is unclear to us what the specifics are and what they want,” Cardinali told the Chronicle. He said the request came as a surprise.
In a letter addressed to staff on Monday, Independent Sector’s top executives acknowledged receiving the request. They said they were committed to preserving employees’ rights.
“While we are unable at this time to provide a meaningful response to the request without additional information, we are embracing the conversation and opportunity to have an open dialogue with you,” the executives said in their letter.
The senior management team is prohibited by federal law from asking specific questions about the efforts to unionize, Cardinali said, because such questions can be perceived as threatening.
Independent Sector notified its members about the request in a letter on Monday.
Benefit Improvements
Cardinali took the helm of Independent Sector in mid-2016, succeeding longtime head Diana Aviv. The organization, he said, had a structural deficit and had experienced years of high turnover. In December 2016, he laid off about a quarter of the staff to put the organization on a sound financial footing and to make it “a little more agile” in executing a new strategic plan.
Cardinali said he has also made a number of other changes to improve conditions at Independent Sector, including extending parental leave, increasing coverage to pay for 100 percent of employee health insurance, modifying the dress code, and doubling the budget of the staff council, an internal body that works to address work culture.
