Urban Peak workers union achieves first elusive contract

The 62-member union at Urban Peak has achieved what few new unions have achieved: a contract.

The organizers said on Thursday that the 3-year contract was ratified by 100%. It includes increased compensation for on-call staff, bargaining protections and the creation of a labor-management committee to address workplace issues. It also allows salary negotiations to be reopened each year if necessary.

Details of salary and benefits have not been released, but should be “in the coming weeks,” said David A. Fernandez, a spokesman for Service Employees International 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 it has faced challenges. As built a four-story building to house teenagers last year, lost a wage dispute with contractors. That was separate from union efforts. Urban Peak workers voted for unionization in July 2023.

Labor organizing has grown dramatically since the pandemic as workers have sought higher wages and safer working conditions. But few workers among the nearly 150 Colorado companies that have unionized have reached a contract, including the more than a dozen Starbucks stores in Colorado.

Even at SEIU 105, it was difficult, Fernandez said. Another nonprofit group he works with, Boulder Walk-in Crisis & Addiction Services Clinic Center, voted for unionization in May. The 40 members are still waiting for negotiations to begin.