Duke University Press Workers File for Union Election
Workers at Duke University Press announced today that they have filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board to gain legal certification for their union.
After publicly announcing their organizing efforts in late March, a majority of eligible workers today submitted signed cards authorizing union representation to the NLRB. If Duke University does not voluntarily recognize the DUP Workers Union, the NLRB will schedule and carry out a union election for workers at Duke University Press.
“It has been so incredibly energizing to talk with our colleagues about their experiences and concerns,” said Dan Ruccia, Marketing Designer. “Filing for an NLRB election is an important next step in this process of addressing those concerns. We’re all so excited to continue working together to make Duke University Press the best publisher it can be.”
The DUP Workers Union has already received overwhelming support from over 350 Duke University Press authors, 90 journal editors, Durham City and County elected officials, and publishing industry leaders.
Through unionizing, DUP workers seek to address issues including constant turnover, extended vacancies, disruptive reorganizations, lack of professional growth opportunities, patterns of discrimination, inconsistent enforcement of policies, and low compensation. Their goal is to build an equitable working environment that mirrors the themes of equity, justice, and inclusion that are central to the books and journals the press publishes.
After learning of workers' efforts to unionize in March, Duke University and DUP management began meeting regularly with Ogletree Deakins, one of the largest anti-union law firms in the country, costing Duke thousands of dollars that could instead be used to support employees.
“Duke can voluntarily recognize our union at any time, and we hope that they will follow the lead of organizations like NPR and Verso Books, who quickly recognized the unions their employees formed earlier this year,” said Jessica Castro-Rappl, Publicist and Exhibits Coordinator. “Especially over the past year, we’ve heard from Duke and DUP leadership that equity and inclusion are mission-critical goals. This is the perfect chance for Duke to show that they’re committed to making real, structural change.”
The DUP Workers Union is a unit of the Washington-Baltimore News Guild, a local of The NewsGuild-CWA. The NewsGuild-CWA represents over 20,000 journalists and media and nonprofit workers throughout the US, Puerto Rico, and Canada, including the Associated Press, the New York Times, and the Chicago Tribune. Duke University Press is a nonprofit academic press that publishes approximately 140 books yearly and more than 50 journals, as well as managing services such as subscriptions, fulfillment, hosting, marketing, and sales for several other publishers.
“The DUP workers are organizing because we love the press and care about its goals and mission,” said Amy Walter, Senior Production Coordinator. “We also care deeply for one another and want all DUP workers to be able to thrive. We are strongly committed to creating a more equitable and person-focused environment at the press, where all are valued. We’ve seen the benefits that organizing has provided for other unionized groups at Duke, and we are so excited for the changes that a union will bring to our workplace.”