Workers At New Avenues For Youth Win Union Representation With AFSCME
PORTLAND, OR - Over 130 people working at New Avenues For Youth (NAFY), a nonprofit focused on preventing and intervening in cases of youth homelessness, overwhelmingly won union recognition after a strong majority voted for Oregon AFSCME in an election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
New Avenues For Youth operates several programs focused on supporting youth at risk for or experiencing homelessness, including drop-in day services, job training, and employment services, education support, 24/7 supportive services for 9 to 24-year-olds, housing, and shelter, support for youth experiencing sex trafficking or exploitation, services for youth in or transitioning out of foster care, drug and alcohol recovery, and mental health support, legal services, and services focused on the LGBTQ+ community.
Like so many nonprofits in the area, NAFY is experiencing excessive turnover rates, which is a major hindrance to positive outcomes for the youth being served.
Charley Breyer, a Youth Mentor at NAFY, said during their organizing campaign, "The record turnover at NAFY hurts the youth we serve - we are forming a union to collectively bargain for a work environment that supports employees’ ability and desire to stay”.
By forming their own union, staff will have a seat at the table with management, with input in the decisions that affect them and their clients.
“We’re incredibly proud of everything we accomplished by coming together to demand a more democratic, equitable, and sustainable New Avenues for Youth. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but right now we’re excited to be joining our fellow Homeless Youth Continuum (HYC) workers in AFSCME Local 1790 to build worker solidarity in our shared, essential mission” said Colin Parker, a Resident Assistant at NAFY’s New Meadows Facility.
“It’s a simple fact: when people come together and form a union their voices are heard - their working conditions improve and we see better outcomes for the people and communities they serve,” said Stacy Chamberlain, Executive Director of Oregon AFSCME.
“We cannot address the behavioral health crisis we see in our community without first ensuring that the organizations contracted to do this work are fully staffed with qualified people, and the members at NAFY will be focused on this during bargaining,” added Chamberlain.
Now that NAFY workers have had their union formally recognized, they will begin bargaining their first contract with NAFY management.
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