TOLEDO – After almost a year of planning, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE), a nonprofit law firm supporting low-income people, voted on Aug. 22 to unionize.
“Since we had a one mail-in ballot, we did have to wait to get our results,” said Kara Ford, a senior attorney with ABLE. The union election votes were counted on Sept. 10.
“Our vote count was on [last] Wednesday at the Toledo office, and we did win our election in favor of unionizing, so we’re super excited,” she said.
According to Ford and the Northeast/Midwest servicing representative from the United Auto Workers (UAW), Ben Dormus, the vote was 28 votes in favor and 19 against.
“The workers won with 60 percent support for the Union,” Dormus said. If management at ABLE has no objections to the election the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will certify the results of the election, something Dormus expects will happen by the end of the week. Pending the certification, ABLE will then become the newest bargaining unit in UAW Local 2320 the National Organization of Legal Services Workers (NOLSW).
In the past, ABLE employees alleged four unfair labor practices:
- 8(a)(1) Coercive Actions (Surveillance, etc)
- 8(a)(1) Interrogation (including Polling)
- 8(a)(1) Coercive Statements (Threats, Promises of Benefits, etc.)
- 8(a)(1) Coercive Rules
Dormus said those four charges are still in process with the NLRB, but also said, “We’ve been given no indication from them [ABLE management] that they intend to object to the election.”
“The executive director sent out an email following the election acknowledging the democratic will of the workers and indicating that they are prepared for this process,” he said.
As soon as the election to unionize is certified, ABLE employees will run elections for their executive committee and then the bargaining committee. Altogether, the new union hopes to begin bargaining with management within roughly a month, deciding more quickly on non-economic articles, and then expects to take about a year to write up a full contract with economic articles.
“The promise is that we get to bargain over things,” Ford said, as ABLE employees prepare to step into a new chapter at ABLE.
With these new responsibilities, Ford said the union hopes first and foremost to bargain for better pay for their lower paid staff, then a better healthcare plan, increased sick leave and then move onto formalizing a better workplace culture.
Ford hopes these changes will increase retention for employees at ABLE and said, “I really think it will have a meaningful impact on turnover.” Continuity between ABLE and the people they are helping, she said was important “to be able to serve our clients well.”
Five ABLE employee roles are currently disputed as to whether they should be included in the bargaining unit. Dormus mentioned the dispute can be resolved informally, directly with ABLE management, or through a hearing process with the NLRB.
The official statement from ABLE’s management on all aspects of the ABLE staff unionizing was: “Leadership does not plan to make an affirmative media statement at this time.”
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