FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 3, 2023 

CONTACTS:  

Ashley Woolheater, Open Markets Institute, woolheater@openmarketsinstitute.org 

Valeria Mejía-Guevara, NPEU,
contact@npeu.org 

WASHINGTON - The Open Markets Institute and that Union of Open Markets Staff have ratified their inaugural collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the first union contract for employees at Open Markets, who formed a union with Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU) that was voluntarily recognized by Open Markets on March 2, 2020.

"As an organization deeply committed to economic democracy and a fair distribution of power, we are proud to announce the first collective bargaining agreement between Open Markets Institute and the Open Markets staff,” said the Open Markets Institute Management Team. “The unionization of our workforce represents our steadfast belief that all workers should be able to exercise their rights through collective bargaining, which makes our society stronger and more democratic.”

“We formed the Union of Open Markets Staff to live out our commitment to economic democracy and stand in solidarity with fellow nonprofit workers,” said the Union of Open Markets Staff bargaining committee. “With this contract, we’re proud to support our members and their families by ensuring fair compensation, opportunities for advancement, and a voice on the job. We believe this contract will strengthen Open Markets as an organization and we thank all our bargaining members, past and present, that made it a reality.”

With ratification of the contract, Open Markets employees have established just cause protections, salary floors, and a Labor Management Committee. Contract highlights include: 

• Established job tiers and salary floors, including a minimum $56,000 salary floor  

• Guaranteed annual raises  

• New personal days, half day summer Fridays, and improved paid parental leave  

• Greater, automatically vested 401k contributions 

• Commitment to a hybrid workplace with at least two weekly telework days and the ability to request more flexible arrangements  

• A professional development and tuition reimbursement fund of up to $4,000 per year per employee 

• Union involvement in hiring committees and implementation of the “Double Rooney Rule” as part of broader diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments in hiring and retention 

• Enshrined Open Markets' commitment to unlimited sick days and paying 100% of full-time employees’ health insurance premiums 

About Open Markets Institute: 

The Open Markets Institute is a leading voice on antimonopoly policy. Open Markets seeks not only to hold today’s monopolies accountable for abuse of power, but to rebuild an economic system where progress is easier to achieve, because power is far more widely and equitably distributed. 

About Union of Open Markets Staff: 

Union of Open Markets Staff is a union run by the employees at the Open Markets Institute and an affiliate of the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union. The Union of Open Markets Staff is committed to building a democratic workplace and ensuring all voices within an organization are heard. 

About Nonprofit Professional Employees Union: 

The Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU), a local of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, represents employees at fifty nonprofit organizations, including Food and Water Watch, the Center for American Progress, 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. 

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The Open Markets Institute is a team of journalists, researchers, lawyers, economists, and advocates working together to expose and reverse the stranglehold that corporate monopolies have on our country.  Learn more at www.openmarketsinstitute.org.