National Academy of Social Insurance Staff Form Union with NPEU

The National Academy of Social Insurance (Academy) has voluntarily recognized Academy Workers United (AWU) – the organization’s first-ever collective bargaining unit, which will be represented by the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU). 

“We are thrilled to be forming a union that will ensure the personal and professional development of all employees and help to actualize organizational values of transparency, sustainability, democracy, and justice,” said Meghan Griffin, Digital Communications Associate at the Academy and member of the AWU organizing committee.

Academy staff are joining recently unionized peers at other leading think tanks and nonprofit organizations in Washington, DC, including at the National Partnership for Women & Families, the National Women’s Law Center, and the Washington Center for Equitable Growth. 

“We welcome the employees of the Academy to NPEU,” said NPEU President Kayla Blado. “We are excited for the staff at the Academy to live their commitment to economic security, one of the many benefits of a union, and use their collective voice to create an even stronger Academy.”

In a joint statement, Academy Chief Executive Officer William Arnone and Board Chair William Rodgers III support the initiative Academy staff have taken to organize a collective bargaining unit: “On behalf of the Academy’s Board and management team, we look forward to working closely with the staff union to help make the Academy a truly great place to work by advancing the professional careers of all staff members.”

Since the National Academy of Social Insurance was founded in 1986, it has provided rigorous inquiry and insights into the functioning of our nation’s social insurance programs – Social Security, Medicare, Unemployment Insurance, and Workers’ Compensation. Comprised of over 1,000 of the nation’s top experts in social insurance and related policies and programs, the Academy studies how social insurance may continue to meet the changing needs of American families, employees, and employers, including uninsured or underinsured risks. To learn more about the Academy’s work, please visit www.nasi.org, or follow @socialinsurance on Twitter.

NPEU, the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union, a local of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, represents professionals employed at more than 30 nonprofit organizations (and counting), including employees at Economic Policy Institute, the Center for American Progress, and Community Change. With several hundred members, NPEU gives nonprofit workers a voice to strengthen their workplaces and continue to do work that makes a difference in people’s lives.