The 62-member employee union at Urban Peak has accomplished what few new unions have achieved: a contract.
Organizers said Thursday the 3-year contract had 100% ratification. It includes increased compensation for on-call staff, protections for bargaining and the creation of a labor management committee to address workplace issues. It also allows wage negotiation to reopen each year if needed.
Details on pay and benefits weren’t disclosed but should be “in the coming weeks,” said David A. Fernandez, a spokesperson for Service Employees International Union Local 105.
In a statement, Urban Peak CEO Christina Carlson called the contract a “successful outcome.” The nonprofit was founded more than 35 years ago but has experienced challenges. As it constructed a four-story facility to shelter teens last year, it lost a wage dispute with contractors. That was separate from union efforts. Urban Peak workers voted to unionize in July 2023.
Labor organizing has increased dramatically since the pandemic as workers sought higher pay and safer working conditions. But few workers at the nearly 150 Colorado companies that unionized have reached a contract, including the more than a dozen Starbucks stores in Colorado.
Even at SEIU 105, it’s been difficult, Fernandez said. Another nonprofit group he’s working with, Clinica Boulder Walk-in Crisis & Addiction Services Center, voted to unionize in May. The 40 members are still waiting for negotiations to begin.