Mission & Vision

Unionizing is an act of care.

We are motivated by love and committed to making WCA a sustainable and healthy workplace in order to be effective agents of change.

WCA has made exceptional progress in Washington state for the protection of the environment and the health of communities. The success of our organizations and of our movement depends on the passion, skills, and dedication of our workers. As workers at WCA, we are proud to stand together as the Evergreen Workers Union, affiliated with Communications Workers of America, Local 7800, to build more just and equitable organizations and environmental movement in Washington state. 

We do this work out of a dedication to restore our relationship to the environment, to fight for a livable planet, and, increasingly, to address the rotten root of systemic oppression that exploits people and land. We do this work because we are dedicated to changing these systems through community engagement, connecting people to actions, electing environmental advocates, and championing progressive policies.

We share the vision described in our recently published Strategic Plan that, "An organization that internally embodies just and healthy dynamics can better advocate for similar changes in external systems.” 

And yet, there have been persistent issues at both organizations for years that undermine our core values and our organizational commitment back to our workers. These include: higher rate of turnover amongst employees of color, lack of pay transparency, lack of equitable and competitive pay, lack of clarity on compensation philosophy, hierarchical power structure, lack of management training, culture of overwork and burnout, lack of opportunities for upward mobility within the organizations, and lack of a healthy culture of feedback without defensiveness or retaliation. Our current internal policies and culture have not successfully addressed these issues. 

Externally, because we are a convener and our theory of change critically relies on partnerships and coalitions, we must ensure that we are attentive to how we perpetuate harmful dynamics at the tables we sit at and set up. Because we are often a representative at exclusionary spaces that hold power, we must be accountable to our partners by prioritizing listening to those who do not have access to these spaces. Time and time again, opportunities to embody solidarity and justice fell flat. 

We recognize these issues are rooted in white supremacy that seeps through the nonprofit sector and environmental community. Without continual work, collective practice, and accountability, we will perpetuate oppressive norms while still being well-intentioned. Through a transformation of our internal dynamics, we can all do better and achieve the best possible version of our organizations.

Collective worker power through a union is essential to achieve the visions of the  organizations’ new Strategic Framework. We organize because we know what our organizations could be — both to us as workers and to our communities at large — a just, sustainable, and anti-racist force in Washington State. It is impossible to dismantle systemic racism in our external work without also doing so in our internal dynamics; our union is the foundation upon which we can align our internal justice with external justice.

With our reclaimed power, we envision a future where employees are valued and compensated equitably for their work. Where workers have access to resources to maintain a healthy work life balance in times of crisis and calm, where we have transparency and consensus in our roles. Where job requirements and expectations are clear, with transparency in pay and performance evaluations. Where we have a voice in the changes to our working conditions brought on by the pandemic. Where all workers are valued and treated with respect. We deserve a work environment that values justice and dignity for all staff and which adapts to the challenges and growth of our organizations.

We look forward to working together with WCA leadership to realize our organizations’ strategic vision and to improve everyone’s working conditions to make our organizations stronger and bolder in the direction we want to go. We are urging WCA leadership to voluntarily recognize our union to live out the values we put forth as organizations.

In solidarity, 

Maria McCausland

Meralina Morales

Rae Lee

Lucy Middleton

Esteban Ortiz

Sally Paul

Mariana Sánchez Castillo

Dre Say

Kamna Shastri

Danielle Shaw