The Southeast Alaska Conservation Council has been at the forefront of protecting Southeast Alaska’s environment for 53 years. Defending the environment and the people of Southeast Alaska who rely on it is why SEACC is here.
As the next step in the ongoing unionization process at SEACC, earlier this afternoon the National Labor Relations Board representative in Seattle opened and tallied ballots. The small, five-person voting unit had only three uncontested votes in favor of unionizing. SEACC has just 10 employees.
The Southeast Alaska Conservation Council continues to await a decision on the formal review request that it filed with the National Labor Relations Board in February. That request questions whether the federal National Labor Relations Act provides the NLRB with the legal authority to regulate a small, local charitable nonprofit like SEACC – a decision that could have national ramifications.
Following today’s ballot count, if, after navigating this process, the National Labor Relations Board is ultimately and appropriately found to have jurisdiction in this case and a union is confirmed, SEACC will enter the next phase of this process and begin bargaining with the unit.
In the event that the National Labor Relations Board is found not to have jurisdiction in this case, our leadership is committed to sitting down as staff and board to discuss and address any existing staff concerns. We at SEACC are and always have been committed to ensuring our employees are well-supported, and we are committed to honoring the needs of our whole staff, no matter how they voted.