Many members of the Portland GMB are employed in the social service industry. These individuals often work for non-profit agencies providing services to Portland area homeless and at-risk populations.

“You can organize a union at a non-profit?!”

Yes, you can! We believe in the work that we do, and we want to make it better for ourselves and the people we serve. We organize to gain a say in the workplace decisions which affect our lives and our clients.

The IWW General Membership Branch currently represents workers at three shops in the social service industry: Street Light/Porch Light Youth Shelters (Janus Youth Programs), Harry’s Mother (Janus Youth Programs), and the Portland Women’s Crisis Line.

The IWW maintains collective bargaining agreements (or “contracts”) in these three shops. Contracts are written agreements between workers and their employers which outline job stipulations like pay, benefits, discipline, and hiring practices.

However, contracts are only one of the many tools the union utilizes for on the job power. As a union, members can organize to have a voice in budgetary decisions or speak out when management is taking their agency in a direction that workers oppose.

The IWW is your union. You and your co-workers will set the agenda and determine your priorities. The IWW helps to develop leadership skills by offering the support of experienced organizers and trainings on how to take action.

More so than any other union, the IWW is built on principles of membership involvement and worker self-organizing. This means that workers in the shop themselves must take the lead in pressing for demands against their employers, without relying on a separate union beauracracy to do the work for them. The IWW is proud to be a part of the social service worker movement, and we are building towards a point of making industry demands of agency management and the politicians that dole out their funding.

Contact the IWW today, and let’s get started on organizing your workplace! Please call us at 503-231-5488, or drop us a line at portland.iww (at) gmail.com. A social service industry organizer will contact you within a few days to set up an initial meeting.