IDA Voluntarily Recognizes Union Of Rank-And-File Employees, Setting Stage For Contract Negotiations

deadline.com:

The International Documentary Association has formally granted voluntary recognition to a union formed by rank-and-file employees, eliminating a bone of contention between workers and management.The IDA’s board had for weeks signaled support for the unionization effort by employees calling themselves Documentary Workers United, but until this week it had not signed a formal document acknowledging the DWU, affiliated with Communications Workers of America Local 9003, as the official bargaining representative of workers below the level of senior director.“A group of IDA staff has successfully formed a union – one that has been recognized with historic speed,” IDA executive director Rick Pérez said in a statement. “The IDA believes this is a positive step forward that will help forge a new direction for the organization and its staff.”DWU issued a separate press release, calling the recognition of the union a “victory.”“This is a historic day for the IDA workers who worked tirelessly to get a union at our organization,” said Hansen Bursic, a member of DWU’s organizing committee. “We are excited to get to work to accomplish the goals laid out in our mission statement and fight for a contract that benefits staff.”Employees, expressing displeasure over what they called delaying tactics by management, last month notified the National Labor Relations Board of their intention to hold a vote on unionizing.

The signing of the voluntary recognition letter obviates the need for that vote, and the next move for management and the DWU will be to embark on contract negotiations.“The IDA is committed to working with the union on next steps,” Pérez said in his statement, “that include the collective bargaining process, further