Berkeley, CA – East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) is pleased to announce the unanimous ratification of a 3-year successor collective bargaining agreement with IFPTE Local 20, affirming the organization’s commitment to a collaborative labor-management relationship. This agreement is the third union contract for employees at EBCLC, who formed a union with IFPTE Local 20 in 2019.
“Our community members are bearing the brunt of government retrenchment and the disruption of the social safety net. This agreement aims to provide organizational stability that is also felt by our clients,” said EBCLC Executive Director Zoë Polk. “I am grateful to the staff and management for their efforts to negotiate an agreement that is reflective of EBCLC’s commitment to nonprofit worker well-being and our shared values around equity and transparency.”
“We are proud to ratify a contract that invests in EBCLC staff. As EBCLC continues its important work to advance justice, we fought for and achieved an agreement that also centers justice within our own organization” said staff bargaining team member Chaiquis Stephens.
Key highlights from the new agreement include:
- Guaranteed Wage Increases. The contract includes annual wage increases of 5% for Program Directors and 3.25% for all other positions in the first year of the contract, and with all staff receiving annual wage increases of 3% in the second and third years of the contract.
- Strengthened Recruitment Practices: The contract clarifies the hiring process for job applicants, ensuring equitable staff engagement and support from human resources.
- Affirmed Commitment to Sabbatical Leave: The contract ensures that all staff have easy access to requesting sabbatical leave and requirements for extending the leave.
- Ensuring School activities leave: The contract provides that parents and partners of parents and guardians have flexibility to attend events at childcare programs or school.
- Robust Layoff and Severance Protections. The contract includes increased notice requirements and higher severance packages in the event of layoffs.
For media inquiries, please contact: Jay Kim, Co-Deputy Director, jkim@ebclc.org.
About EBCLC
East Bay Community Law Center envisions a California where Black and Indigenous communities are positioned to realize thriving, healthy, and dignified lives. We center the experiences of women of color, our largest client demographic, and solve for the persistent inequities they face because we believe this approach will bolster the well-being and resilience of all communities. Through a combination of high-volume legal services, client-informed policy, and legal training for the next generation of racial justice lawyers, EBCLC’s work has transformative statewide and nationwide impact.