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On Friday, October 27, 2023, members of Code for America Workers United (CWU) voted overwhelmingly to ratify their first collective bargaining agreement. In addition to across-the-board wage increases and expanded paid family and medical leave time, the contract includes new benefits like adoption and fertility support and gender-affirming care. The contract also breaks new ground by expanding worker protections to include protections against caste-based discrimination and intrusive monitoring, limiting the use of contracted and temporary workers in favor of full-time employees, and establishing a neutral arbitration process to resolve disputes between the union and management. With this contract, CWU members improve working conditions at Code for America and set new labor standards for civic tech, as well as the broader tech ecosystem.
Hey Jacky! Awesome work by you and all of CfAWU in getting this agreement across the finish line! I have to mention that this is also a historic milestone as the first official contract for the tech workers local, OPEIU 1010. With a bit of effort, my union, Nava United, will join you soon with the second contract!
I should add that Kickstarter United was really the trailblazer, though they affiliated with local 153 for their first contract because the idea for local 1010 hadn’t really hatched yet. The rest of us in this burgeoning movement of tech workers within OPEIU will be unaffiliated until the local is chartered.