Frontline staff at Youth Pride, Inc. vote overwhelmingly to join SEIU 1199 New England

Providence City Council votes to express its “Full and Unequivocal Support for the Right of Youth Pride Inc. to Unionize”

From a press release:

Frontline staff at Youth Pride, Inc., a Providence-based non-profit that provides direct service, support, advocacy, and education to meet the needs of LGBTQ+ youth and young adults, have voted overwhelmingly to join SEIU 1199NE. They join the over 4,000 healthcare and service workers in Rhode Island and 29,000 total in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Southeastern Massachusetts that makeup SEIU 1199 New England. On the evening of Thursday, February 1, 2024, the Providence City Council voted to express its “full and unequivocal support for the right of Youth Pride Inc. to unionize.”

You can watch the City Council pass the resolution here.

“My coworkers and I were all drawn to Youth Pride, Inc. for similar reasons,” said Center Coordinator Sy Bedrick. “We are passionate about our mission to support and advocate for LGBTQ+ youth, and our dedication to our work is what drove us to form our union. We are fighting for equitable and living wages, respect, and a voice in our workplace so that we can continue to uplift the voices of the youth and young adults we serve and ensure that their needs are being fought for and attended to.”   

Youth Pride, Inc. started as a support group for the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) of Greater Rhode Island in December 1992. In the decades that followed, they expanded into a vibrant community resource that provides a safe nurturing environment for LGBTQ+ youth through its group and counseling services, a pantry program that serves over 700 youth as well as offering housing assistance and a lending library. But increasingly, staff felt their wages did not reflect the rising cost of living and extent of their work responsibilities and they lacked a clear discourse with management to address issues.

“As a youth who had a dangerous home situation and a parent who did not approve of my identity, Youth Pride was a lifeline that allowed me to pursue opportunities that significantly raised my quality of life and connected me with a network of queer folk here in Providence,” said Aileen Feliz, Center Coordinator, “But the pay structure is not equitable here and many of us need second jobs to afford the cost of living in Rhode Island. Because of this, we are not able to fully commit to the life-changing work we do at Youth Pride. We voted for our union to first and foremost be able to advocate for our youth on a level where we are heard and considered.” 

“Youth Pride Inc. is a vital resource and community keystone in Rhode Island’s foundation, with a thirty-one-year legacy of creating positive change for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults. By voting to join 1199NE, Youth Pride Inc. is building upon that legacy by uniting with frontline workers across the healthcare and service sector to fight for better conditions and respect. With this newly solidified collective power, we take the first step in reaffirming the values that make Youth Pride the supportive organization that it aspires to be,” said Jesse Martin, Executive Vice President of SEIU 1199NE.

Frontline staff will now begin the process of negotiating a first union contract with their employer.