Why We're Forming a Union

GRID Alternatives envisions a rapid, equitable transition to a world powered by renewable energy that benefits everyone. Our mission is to build community-powered solutions to advance economic and environmental justice through renewable energy.” GRID Alternatives’ mission is one of hope for the future that we, the workers, connect with and strive towards every day. It’s a future we all want to build in any way we can, and it is what made us want to work at GRID. 

However, many of us don’t see ourselves at times in the “community-powered solutions to advance economic and environmental justice…,” despite the fact that many of us come from the frontline communities we are serving. By virtue of working at a nonprofit, especially one that is politically out of step with the current federal administration and must operate defensively, it often feels that fueling our energy towards the programmatic goals of the mission is prioritized over employee well-being and workplace environment. 

Through forming a union, we will ultimately be able to combat the fiscal instability, both individually and as an organization, by preparing for any funding losses that may come. For example, the United Auto Workers (UAW), who we have selected to affiliate with, has successfully litigated against the federal government and has had NIH funding restored to the benefit of its members that were affected by those funding losses. Further, it will be through negotiating and winning a union contract that we will advocate for a pay policy that can’t be unilaterally altered without input from the collective workforce.*

Ultimately, those of us who work at GRID are the architects of the union. We get to decide what we would like to fight for at GRID. In dozens of surveys so far, GRIDers have shared some of their most important issues that they would like to be addressed, with the main one being fair pay, but also including things like job security, workload protections, workplace safety, and accountability from leadership. With collective bargaining, we could negotiate for labor protections that operate across the entire organization in order to support SolarCorps Fellows, interns, contractors, etc.. We would have more power to win and secure better benefits, paid sabbaticals, plans for layoffs, prioritize employee experience over efficiency, and overall have a stronger voice in decision-making at GRID. With a union, we can practice and live our mission.

**The pay philosophy working group is currently composed of executive-level staff, human resources folx, and C-suites. They are the highest-paid people at GRID and do not adequately represent the financial concerns and needs of the lowest-paid employees at GRID.