Professionals Continued to Organize with DPE-Affiliated Unions in 2021

While both overall union membership and professional union membership saw a slight dip in 2021, largely holding steady from 2020, professionals continued to form new unions. Unions affiliated with the Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) celebrated professional organizing wins in a wide variety of industries and fields last year, including health care, nonprofit, education, media, entertainment, and utilities. Below is a list of the professionals who formed unions in 2021:

Audiobook Voice Actors

• Blue Nose Audio (Screen Actors Guild — American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA))
• Cameron Lamb Productions, LLC (SAG-AFTRA)
• Ideapress Publishing (SAG-AFTRA)
• Imagination Videobooks Illustrated Audiobooks (SAG-AFTRA)
• Inspiration Productions (Audible Original) (SAG-AFTRA)
• National Guardian Inc. (SAG-AFTRA)
• One Night Stand Studios (SAG-AFTRA)
• One Off Productions (SAG-AFTRA)
• Pink Flamingo Productions (SAG-AFTRA)
• Post Hypnotic Press (SAG-AFTRA)
• Productions Payroll Service (SAG-AFTRA)
• Scribe Media (SAG-AFTRA)
• Spectrum Audiobooks (KAR Enterprises) (SAG-AFTRA)
• Tydef Studios (SAG-AFTRA)
• Voiceworks Audio (SAG-AFTRA)

Baristas

• Colectivo Coffee (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW))

Bookstore employees

• Greenlight Books (Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU))
• McNally Jackson (RWDSU)

Campaign and political professionals

• New Jersey Democratic State Committee’s coordinated campaign (Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU))
• Wyoming Democrats (IBEW)
• Tim Ryan for Ohio (IBEW)

College and university staff

• Cornish College of the Arts (OPEIU and International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE))
• University of Vermont (American Federation of Teachers (AFT))
• Augsburg University (OPEIU)
• University of Pittsburgh (USW)
• St. Petersburg College, Florida (AFT)

Dancers

• Ballet Idaho (American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA))

Educators

• Association House Alternative High School (AFT)
• Hiawatha Academies (AFT)
• Great River School (AFT)
• District 73.5, Skokie, Ill. (AFT)
• Compass Charter School, New York (AFT)
• Illinois Math & Science Academy (AFT)
• Milwaukee Area Technical College (AFT)
• Ada Borup, Minnesota (AFT)
• Lake City, Minnesota (AFT)
• Crestwood, Michigan (AFT)
• Huron School Federation, Michigan (AFT)
• Northbrook, Illinois (AFT)
• Manheim, Illinois (AFT)
• Wayne RESA, Michigan (AFT)
• ORVA Educators (AFT)
• Fusion Academy (AFT)
• Bricolage Charter School (AFT)
• Latin School of Chicago (AFT)
• Environmental Charter High School (AFT)
• Robert C Parker School, New York (AFT)
• Co-op School, Brooklyn (AFT)
• United Staff of the Day School, Pennsylvania (AFT)
• Christopher House Charter School (AFT)

EMTs

• Arizona Ambulance (International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF))
• American Medical Response, Sierra Vista, AZ (IAFF)

FAA Professionals

• Air Traffic Services Administrative Professionals and Cartographers (Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS))

Firefighters

• Lee, Massachusetts (IAFF)
• Bernalillo, New Mexico (IAFF)

Healthcare professionals

• Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh (AFT)
• Franciscan Hospice Care (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW))
• Leidos Military Family Life Counselors (IAMAW)
• Palo Alto Medical Foundation (International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE))
• Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (AFT)
• University of Vermont Medical Center Imaging Technologists (AFT)
• Mid-Columbia Medical Center Healthcare Techs (AFT)
• Gabert Medical Clinic (AFT)
• Kaiser Billing Specialists, Seattle (OPEIU)
• Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center (AFT)
• UNM Sandoval Nurses (AFT)
• UNM Sandoval Techs (AFT)
• Providence Home Health & Hospice Wound Nurses (AFT)
• McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center (AFT)

Lab techs

• Chase Corporation (IAMAW)

Legal Professionals

• Federal Defenders of San Diego (IFPTE)

Legislative employees

• Oregon State Legislature (IBEW)

Librarians

• Baltimore County (IAMAW)
• University of Michigan (AFT)

Media and news professionals

• FT Specialist (WGAE)
• KIRO-TV (SAG-AFTRA)
• Marketplace (SAG-AFTRA)
• MSNBC (WGAE)
• New Hampshire Public Radio (SAG-AFTRA)

Musicians

• HBO Miniseries The Gilded Age (American Federation of Musicians (AFM))

Nonprofit Professionals

• American Civil Liberties Union (IFPTE)
• ACLU Georgia (IBEW)
• American Jewish World Service (OPEIU)
• Animal Legal Defense Fund (IFPTE)
• Brookings Institution (IFPTE)
• Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc (IFPTE)
• Defenders of Wildlife (OPEIU)
• Emily’s List (OPEIU)
• Move Texas (OPEIU)
• Minnesota Freedom Fund (OPEIU)
• Urban Institute (IFPTE)
• Land Stewardship Project (OPEIU)
• Forterra (OPEIU)
• Institute for Local Self Reliance (OPEIU)
• Center for Book Arts (OPEIU)
• Represent US (OPEIU)
• Printed Matter (OPEIU)
• INCLUDEnyc (OPEIU)
• National Association of County and City Health Officials (OPEIU)
• DC SAFE (OPEIU)
• BioBus (OPEIU)
• Anti-Violence Project (OPEIU)
• Association of Community College Trustees (OPEIU)
• Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project (OPEIU)
• Massachusetts Senior Action Council (OPEIU)
• Center for Responsible Lending (OPEIU)
• Housing Works (RWDSU)
• Homeless Action Center (IFPTE)

Power plant operators

• Jones Lang Lasalle Americas at Pfizer (Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA))

Programmers, coders and other tech professionals

• Code for America (OPEIU)
• Big Cartel (OPEIU)

Record label employees

• Secretly Group (OPEIU)

Retail professionals

• Goods for the Study (RWDSU)
• Guitar Center, various locations (RWDSU)

Television and film production professionals

• Jigsaw Productions (Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE))
• Titmouse Animation (IATSE)
• The Chase (WGAE)

Theater, arena, and other live event professionals

• Angels of the Wind Arena (IATSE)
• ShoWare (IATSE)
• White River Amphitheater (IATSE)
• The Gorge, the Tacoma Dome (IATSE)
• Lumen Field (Seahawks) (IATSE)
• T-Mobile Park (Seattle Mariners) (IATSE)
• Saxe and V Theaters (IATSE)
• Second City (AFT)
• Veterans Memorial Coliseum and Moda Center (IATSE)
• Moonlight Amphitheater (IATSE)
• Capital One Hall (IATSE)

Utility professionals

• Unitil (dispatchers) (Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA))
• United Illuminating Company (UWUA)
• Seminole Electric (IBEW)
• Xcel Energy (IBEW)
• Brent Electric (IBEW)
• Elizabethtown Gas Company (UWUA)
• North Shore Gas Company (IBEW)
• California ISO (IBEW)
• United Illuminating Company (UWUA)

Wardrobe professionals

• LA Opera Costume Shop (IATSE)

Are you interested in forming a union in your workplace? Please contact us (info@dpeaflcio.org) to learn more and get connected to one of DPE’s affiliate unions.