Recognize the AccessMatters Union
Melissa Weiler Gerber, President and CEO, AccessMatters and AccessMatters Board Members
We, the staff of AccessMatters, have chosen this work because of our personal commitments to social justice and health equity, and we believe that the struggle for justice begins at home — and in the office. We are unionizing in order to improve and equalize working conditions across our office to benefit our employees, management, and clients alike. We believe that all clients who receive services through AccessMatters deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, and we know that when staff are not treated equitably, our clients are the ones who suffer first. High turnover, low morale, and chronic inequity in pay and benefits are not just problems for our staff -- they directly impact our ability to provide consistent, high-quality, trauma-informed care to the tens of thousands of people throughout Pennsylvania who are served through AccessMatters’ programs. While we look forward to improved working conditions, including higher and more equitable pay, transparency in organizational decision-making, and increased job security, we are most energized by this opportunity to improve the care that we provide to our clients throughout the region and beyond. You can learn more about the AccessMatters Union at: accessmattersunion.org.
Sponsored by
To:
Melissa Weiler Gerber, President and CEO, AccessMatters and AccessMatters Board Members
From:
[Your Name]
As current and former clients, partners, staff members, and community supporters of AccessMatters, we believe wholeheartedly that you should voluntarily recognize the AccessMatters Union (AMU).
Members of the AMU have voted, with an overwhelming majority of eligible staff support, to form a union with The NewsGuild of Greater Philadelphia (CWA Local 38010). We celebrate their solidarity and unity, and encourage you to do the same! We believe that you, your staff, and your clients deserve the best possible version of AccessMatters, and we believe that the best version of AccessMatters is a unionized one.
We applaud AccessMatters’ leadership in sexual and reproductive health care delivery, advocacy, and education, as well as its years of experience providing services to clients with a commitment to being antiracist, trauma-informed, and equitable. We believe that, as leaders of a mission-driven nonprofit that is committed to progressive values, you understand the vital role that unions play in building strong, just, sustainable, and equitable nonprofit organizations. You have an opportunity to once again show great leadership in our community by standing with your workers and recognizing the AMU.
As it says in the AMU’s Mission Statement, “unionizing is an act of love” - love for AccessMatters, its staff, and the communities it serves. We look forward to hearing that you have voluntarily recognized the AMU, and that you have continued to lead the way in affirming your commitment to your staff and the communities you serve.
Sincerely,