October 26, 2023
The Commonwealth Institute and TCI United Sign First Collective Bargaining Agreement
The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis and TCI United, its staff union, announced the ratification of their inaugural collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The agreement, signed on June 28, 2023, is the first union contract for employees of TCI, who formed a union with the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU) that was voluntarily recognized by TCI on February 16, 2021.
“This CBA proves exactly what our own research demonstrates – that unions uplift all workers, especially women and people of color. This contract invests directly in the staffers that make our work possible and formalizes working conditions that help our members thrive,“ said the TCI United Bargaining Committee in a collective statement.
“The strength of our organization has always been our people,” said Ashley Kenneth, President & CEO of the Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis. “At TCI, every single member of our team plays a critical role in strengthening our communities and our Commonwealth as a whole. As this CBA demonstrates, we’re deeply committed to investing in our people, who make this progress possible.”
With ratification of the contract, TCI United employees have secured improvements in salaries, pay equity, annual salary increases, paid family and medical leave, telework policies, and more. Contract highlights include:
- The creation of $50,000 salary floor and formalized salary bands;
- Retroactive pay at adjusted salary rates for 2023
- Guaranteed annual salary increases;
- Focus on collective and individual rest through twice-a-year office closures and improvements to annual and sick leave;
- Improvement to family and medical leave and bereavement leave policies;
- A commitment to a hybrid workplace through formalized teleworking policies;
- More accessible retirement benefits.
“As TCI continues to fight to advance economic and racial justice in Virginia, we are proud to have fought for a collective bargaining agreement that does just that in our own organization,” said the TCI United Bargaining Committee in a collective statement. “We have come a long way since first voting to unionize, and this collective bargaining agreement addresses many of the priorities identified by our union members. It will strengthen our work for years to come.”
“Congratulations to the members of TCI United on securing their first contract,” said NPEU Interim President Amy Chin-Lai. “This contract is a testament to TCI’s commitment to living its values. Its contents raise the bar for our industry and set an example that we hope to see other nonprofits follow.”
CONTACT: Ashley Kenneth, ashley@thecommonwealthinstitute.org; TCI United, tciunitedvirginia@gmail.com; Valeria Mejía-Guevara, NPEU, contact@npeu.org
###
About The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis
TCI advances racial and economic justice in Virginia by advocating for public policies that are designed in partnership with people most impacted, and shaped by credible, accessible fiscal and policy research.
About TCI United
TCI United is a union run by the employees at TCI and an affiliate of NPEU. Our mission is to advance an equitable workplace, commonwealth, & world. We are committed to building a new Virginia in the capital of the old confederacy. Follow us on Twitter @TCI_United.
About NPEU
The Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU), a local of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, represents employees at over fifty nonprofit organizations, including Food and Water Watch, the Brookings Institution, and Action Squared. With over a thousand members, NPEU gives nonprofit workers a voice to strengthen their workplaces and continue to do work that makes a difference in people’s lives.
