COTS board needs to do the right thing

COTS board needs to do the right thing
Burlington Free Press
Published: Tuesday, December 12, 2006

By James Haslam

Here’s the point that the Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS) Board of Directors and some others have missed, the vast majority of the 46 COTS employees have already formed a union. Back in October they asked the COTS Board to recognize them as a union after over 80 percent signed up to join the UE (see COTS workers unhappy, BFP Nov 11), and when the Board refused and voted for a community election, on December 6th the COTS staff demonstrated support for their union by a vote of 31-2 (see COTS Workers Vote For Union, BFP Dec 7).

I have talked to a great many community members about this situation. Overwhelmingly, there's a great deal of respect for the work carried out by COTS. Many people closely familiar with the day-to-day work of the organization have commented that they are not surprised that the workers organized having sensed growing frustration of staff over a long period of time.

Some people, however, have wondered why would workers need a union at a nonprofit organization like COTS and a few have gone so far as to suggest that it is not a good idea (Bob Duncan's My Turn "Should COTS Workers Unionize?" Free Press, Dec. 2 and Sen. Hinda Miller's "Union is most expensive remedy," Free Press, Dec. 6). But they have missed the point, and the situation at COTS could perhaps help provide this community with good lessons about basic principles of social justice and democracy.

Every worker deserves respect. The right of workers to organize is a basic principle of democracy. It is not just an important right for some workers. Given our bare bones laws that scarcely protect workers, unions often make sense in every industry.

So how does a union help strengthen an organization? By providing better working conditions and job security there is less turnover and people are far less scared to point out big problems in the organization. This makes the organization healthy. Union nurses advocate for better patient care because they can without fear of retaliation. COTS workers have decided to form a union to advocate for needed improvements in the organization and in the critical service they provide to this community. Now they will be able to do so without fear of being fired. They will work on more of an even playing field, and COTS will be a stronger organization because of it.

If the COTS board had simply respected their staff's request back in October, imagine how different this story would be. This would not be a union "conflict" or "dispute". There would not be dozens of newspaper articles, letters and TV coverage devoted to this story. COTS would be solely focused on providing their important services and getting the message out to the community about the importance of donating to support this work.

As a social-justice organization, the COTS Board needs to stand by principles of workers' rights. If you believe in social justice and workers' rights for people, except when it comes to your own employees, you don't believe in workers' rights. The right to organize is a basic principle of democracy. If one is to believe in this basic right, it is by recognizing workers rights to make that decision for themselves.

COTS staff said they were willing to affirm their decision in a union election, and they did overwhelmingly. They do not want to have the board continue to drag this out. Now they are asking the board to respect their choice, negotiate a mutually agreed upon fair contract and get back to focusing on the important work they do everyday.

It is a real shame if the COTS board of directors continues to choose to unnecessarily make this a conflict and divert resources and energy away from the COTS staff's ability to best serve and advocate for their clients. It's time that COTS does the right thing by its employees, its clients and the community in which it does business. It's time COTS recognize the employees' organization and begin bargaining a Union contract.

James Haslam is the director of the Vermont Workers' Center -- Jobs With Justice. If you have questions or to learn more about workers' rights in Vermont email info@workerscenter.org.