ACLU of Massachusetts and Civil Rights Union Employees, National Organization of Legal Service Workers, UAW Local 2320 Enter into New Agreement

June 27, 2020 BOSTON – The ACLU of Massachusetts and the Civil Rights Union Employees (CRUE), a unit of the National Organization of Legal Services Workers (NOLSW), UAW, Local 2320, AFL-CIO, together announce a new collective bargaining agreement between the labor union and the 100-year old civil rights and civil liberties organization. The ACLU of Massachusetts voluntarily recognized the CRUE bargaining unit in March, 2018. The Agreement has a duration of three years and expires in June, 2023.

“As proud members of NOLSW, we are pleased to enter into this agreement after more than two years of negotiations,” said CRUE Chair Olivia Santoro. "We’re grateful for the support of our wall-to-wall membership and NOLSW, as well as our counterparts in ACLU affiliates around the country who continue to push the organization to live up to its ideals and remain true to its mission.”

“The ACLU has championed the right of workers to organize unions since its inception more than 100 years ago, beginning with efforts to counter the vehement anti-union crusades of the 1920s,” said Carol Rose, Executive Director of the ACLU of Massachusetts. “Both negotiating teams worked diligently and we are proud to strengthen this tradition of ensuring workplace rights by entering into this Agreement with CRUE, NOLSW UAW Local 2320."

The Agreement comes at a time when the ACLU’s advocates are involved in a critical range of issues, including protecting the rights of protesters, ending police brutality that disproportionately targets Black and Brown people, dismantling systems of racial inequity, defending immigrants, ensuring abortion rights, strengthening LGBTQ equality, promoting free speech, and protecting against unchecked government surveillance.

“Collective bargaining statutes provide critical and necessary protection for workers who exercise basic civil rights, in particular, the rights of speech, association, and petition – which are more important than ever at this moment in history,” said Rose.

“At a time when multiple crises threaten the lives and livelihoods of workers—especially those who are Black, Brown, indigenous, disabled, and LGBTQ—civil rights organizations must lead the way by both voluntarily recognizing unions and working in good faith to establish robust protections for their employees,” added Santoro.

For 100 years, the ACLU of Massachusetts has worked every day in the courts, in the legislature, and in communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution, Bill of Rights, the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights, and laws of the United States.