“The energy we have invested into organizing with our colleagues is a direct reflection of our commitment to our work at Impact Justice. Forming a union strengthens our collective pursuit of dreaming of a humane and restorative system of justice in the United States.” — Letter announcing the formation of Impact Justice United, Feb. 2022

On September 18, 2024, Samantha Tiscareño, a Research Analyst 2 with the Research and Action Center and member of the Impact Justice United Bargaining Committee, was laid off despite HR’s assurance that there was sufficient work for her role through the end of the year. Management informed Samantha that the layoff was due to budgetary constraints and concerns, without evidence, even though they have invested significant sums into multiple managerial research positions this summer.

This layoff also occurred after Samantha prominently advocated for improved working conditions and shortly after she was approved for an ADA medical accommodation, raising concerns about targeted mistreatment. Two other research analysts of color at the RAC were also laid off or forced out due to disparate treatment and retaliation from management: one after joining Impact Justice’s bargaining committee and another just a month ago. This in combination with Samantha’s lay off has effectively redesigned the RAC into a team of managers alone — not a single IJU member is left.

Samantha’s experience reflects those of many current and former workers at Impact Justice. Throughout IJ United’s organizing, we have learned of staff across our organization being impacted by inequitable practices that disproportionately harm BIPOC and formerly incarcerated staff. This has included trumped up disciplinary accusations, enforcement of policies not included in our handbook or contract, intimidating meetings between IJU members and IJ management, and system-involved staff experiencing explicit discrimination by IJ leadership due to their time while incarcerated.

Despite our efforts to improve this organization we have invested so much in, Impact Justice management has not shown us the respect we deserve. During a summer 2023 IJ All Staff Meeting, a member of the executive leadership team likened our diverse and progressive labor union to reactionary police associations and compared our union security proposal to incarceration. Over the past two years of bargaining, management has forcibly pushed out 15 union activists and outspoken members: four bargaining committee members and 10+ other bargaining unit workers have been laid off, fired, spun off, or forced to resign.

Research has shown that women and minority staff are disproportionately affected by layoffs, and IJ’s behavior points to a clear pattern that reinforces these gender and racial equity issues. This is also clearly reflected in IJ’s poor retention of women and BIPOC employees within our union. IJ staff are eager to see management hold themselves accountable to IJ’s core values and principles to create a more equitable, collaborative, and safe environment, especially for junior staff.

While IJ has shown some willingness to bargain with the union, management has only doubled down on the mistreatment of our most marginalized staff members — an issue of the highest importance of our union and community. These patterns of behavior are not only clear violations of our rights under the National Labor Relations Act—violations that must be addressed and remedied as soon as possible—but a moral blight on our organization.

How can we credibly “put people first, especially those who’ve experienced or are at risk of injustice and harm, for whom change matters most” if our organization relies on the same old handbook of employee-marginalizing and union-busting tactics? How can we create a more just society through our work if the manner in which we structure and conduct our work reinforces our society’s most dehumanizing and unjust systems? How can we “change expectations about what we can accomplish together” if management only commits to the bare minimum of engagement at the bargaining table?

As IJ management, you have the power, resources, and tools to change course and partner in good faith with Impact Justice United. We want to work with you to create a workplace that functions appropriately for all of us, that protects the people we serve and the people with whom we work. We want and deserve a workplace that values diversity and transparency, that fosters a nurturing environment where workers are treated with fairness and respect, and that fully supports remote workers, parents, and women of color. In short, we want a workplace that lives up to our shared values.

To do this, IJ management must meet these urgent demands: First, management must reinstate Samantha after her unjust layoff, and cease all discriminatory behavior, including retaliation for pro-union activism as described above. Secondly, management must bargain in good faith to reach a just contract by the end of November 2024.

Failing to correct course would be a betrayal of Impact Justice’s mission and the values of the hundreds of people who make IJ work — not only our IJU members, but all IJ employees, IJ’s donors, program participants, funders, advisors, supporters, partners, allies, and the communities we serve.

Make the right choice. Live up to your values. Partner in good faith with Impact Justice United.

In solidarity and urgency for our work,

Impact Justice United
Former members of Impact Justice United
Fellow members of OPEIU
Labor movement allies
Community supporters