Denver, CO — After more than a year of bargaining, the Denver Urban Gardens Workers United (DUGWU) ratified a first contract with management at Denver Urban Gardens (DUG).
Workers at the community garden nonprofit won a first contract that establishes a labor management committee to resolve issues as they arise, a clear pay structure that will provide and maintain pay equity; solid development and advancement opportunities that will help with retention; and a 10% bilingual premium that will help recruit and maintain staff to serve their diverse communities.
“This agreement is a testament to the appeal of organizing, regardless of sector,” said Shay Moon, DUG’s Senior Manager of Food Access Programs. “We organized because we believe in our nonprofit’s mission and the importance of valuing the workers who make it possible. This contract signals to our community that DUG is serious about community organizing, inside and out.”
“We hope that our win will inspire other nonprofit and mission-driven workers to organize for fair terms of employment and to challenge the systemic issues in our sector,” said Marisa Loury, DUG’s Senior Manager of Garden Leadership. “By valuing the work we do for our community, we believe our contract will address the burnout that a lot of nonprofit workers experience, which will in turn advance the impact of our organization. We don’t have to sacrifice our well-being just because we work for a nonprofit!”
DUG oversees about 200 gardens in six metro-area counties, including dozens of school plots and formed through grassroots action in the 1970s. DUG was formalized as a nonprofit in 1985.
The NewsGuild-CWA represents more than 2,200 workers at about 85 nonprofit organizations, including several ACLU affiliates, Color of Change, Common Cause, the Southern Poverty Law Center and more. Most of the Guild’s members work at media workplaces. The Guild also represents union staff, interpreters and other workers.
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