Immigration non-profit and union reach voluntary recognition agreement

New York Immigration Coalition management and the union seeking to represent dozens of workers at the immigration organization reached an agreement for voluntary recognition pending a third-party review of workers’ union authorization cards, both sides confirmed on Thursday. But the agreement kicks the can down the road on a central issue that created the original dispute between management and the nascent union – determining what the exact number of workers in the bargaining unit will be.  

Under the agreement reached this week, management has withdrawn its petition with the National Labor Relations Board to hold an election that was originally scheduled for next week and the union has removed its unfair labor practice charge alleging that NYIC was bargaining in bad faith, according to a management official and Sam Heyne, a staff organizer and business agent at the Office and Professional Workers Local 153. But a dispute remains between management and the union over 10 workers who NYIC does not think legally should be in the union, Heyne said.  

“We did get back a handful of people,” Heyne said. “There's still 10 contested employees." 

Over 40 NYIC workers notified management in June that they intended to unionize with Local 153 and in the weeks that followed, NYIC and the anti-union lawyers they hired pushed to exclude over a dozen members of the bargaining unit, including the entirety of the non-profit's communications and development teams. Members accused management of weaponizing the law and vowed to fight so that all of their coworkers could be included in the new union.  

The agreement reached this week solidified that some of the originally excluded workers will be a part of the union, but the remaining 20 percent of workers who the union wants to include in the unit will still have to be bargained over, which the Local 153 is hoping will work out in their favor. The compromise agreement allows the voluntary recognition process to move forward and for the two sides to begin bargaining for a first contract once that process is completed.

"This is a really positive development,” Heyne said. “We are going to resolve the eligibility question for those ten people at the bargaining table." 

A NYIC spokesperson confirmed that the voluntary recognition agreement exists. 

“A neutral third party will conduct a card check to determine majority support among the agreed bargaining unit,” the spokesperson said. “If majority support is confirmed the union will be certified as the bargaining representative and the two sides will begin negotiating a contract.” 

NYIC employs more than 90 people across several cities in New York State. It’s biggest contingent of workers is in the city.

In 2024, the most recent year when financial records are available, the non-profit, a coalition of around 200 organizations throughout the state, brought in nearly $23 million dollars in revenue. 

Workers and management have already traded barbs at the bargaining table and negotiations for a first contract for the NYIC workers in the union (however many end up in the union by the time the contract is finalized) will likely take months.