FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 18, 2023
Statement from the Board on MN350’s Workers Union
The MN350 Board of Directors and Executive Director (“ED”) are fully supportive of MN350 organizers’ right to unionize. The standard “card check” process to recognize the union is currently underway. MN350 has submitted all legal requirements to the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) and the unionization process is following NLRB standards.
The board of MN350 is responsible for the health and wellness of the organization and the employment of the ED. The ED is responsible for fundraising, budgeting, and running the organization under federal and state tax law and any deviation from this can result in an organization losing its tax status.
On October 17, 2022, the ED signed an agreement with an external Human Resources organization to provide impartial expertise and advice on personnel issues within MN350, with availability to all employees. This external organization was hired as an effort to ensure impartial and legal decision-making on staffing matters. The external organization has been documenting infractions and advising the organization since the agreement was signed.
The MN350 board recognizes and continues to be concerned about long-standing issues of racism in the organization. Many BIPOC staff have left over the years up to the present; we recognize change takes concerted effort and actions that can be uncomfortable. The board is committed to rooting out racism in all forms including, but not limited to micro aggression, passive aggression, undermining BIPOC voices, and tokenism.
It is against federal labor law to publicly disseminate the reasons for disciplining employees who violate employee policy. One reason for this is to protect employees’ future employment opportunities.
The work MN350 has done to become a better ally to frontline communities and an anti-racist organization has not been easy and is unfortunate that this process has been difficult for long-term employees of MN350. MN350 and its Board believes in its mission to create a just and healthy future for all. We see the unionization of staff and the continued work of becoming an anti-racist organization as needed steps to get to a future we all deserve.
* The majority of the board crafted this statement with the approval of MN350’s counsel, as a PR firm has not been retained.
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ABOUT
MN350 is a statewide group working to make Minnesota a national leader in a just transition to a clean energy economy that centers around racial justice. MN350 Action is its political and advocacy arm.