Michelle Munjanattu
If the reform slate wins your support in the July general elections, we promise to return to member-to-member organizing, checking in more frequently with individual members and eboard representatives and providing true partnership to navigate tough workplace issues, whether that is forced return to office, layoffs, or difficulty getting management to the bargaining table.
Introduce yourself and where you work:
My name is Michelle Munjanattu (she/her), and I am a member of the fundraising team at New American Leaders (NAL), where I have worked for over five years. I was an organizing committee member, elected bargaining team representative, serve as the chair of NAL Workers United, and am an active member on NPEU’s executive board. I built solidarity and trust among our unit throughout the pandemic and transitions within our workplace, accompanied and supported unit members facing discipline, and educated members about their rights and helped grow their capacity to fight back at work. I’m so proud of the investment our unit put in to obtain NAL’s first-ever collective bargaining agreement, which raised the wage floor, provides for a cumulative 9% raise over the life of the contract, and instituted career ladders for the first time for junior staff. As an internationalist, I know fighting hard to protect workers in the United States is critical to global struggles for liberation, and I’ve worked for over a decade to build solidarity with workers in the global south, including Palestine and Latin America. After graduating college, I worked in Nablus, Palestine at the largest university in the West Bank before spending several years working at DC-area nonprofits supporting Palestine refugees. In more recent years, I have focused on building solidarity with workers in this hemisphere, joining an End Sanctions Delegation to Venezuela in April 2019, participating actively with other international trade unionists through the Platform of the Anti-Imperialist Working Class, and supporting the largest farm workers union in Nicaragua, the Asociación de Trabajadores del Campo (ATC or Rural Workers Association). I’m excited to run for President on the NPEU Members for a Democratic Union slate to help NPEU take its rightful place as a leader in the international labor movement and help us to win big in upcoming struggles against the boss in this country.
What does being in a union, and specifically being an NPEU member, mean to you?
As a first-generation immigrant from a working-class background, being in a union has provided me with connection, stability, and a willingness to fight for better conditions for all. Unionizing NAL helped me understand how interconnected we all are, and that by voicing a personal concern or demand I am creating space for others to also name what they need at the workplace. Practically, union membership has meant that I do not have to repeat the cycle of needing to apply for work every two years because as a woman of color I have reached a glass ceiling or lack the solidarity or resources to resolve issues in the workplace. Being part of a union has expanded my skills and capacity to have difficult and empathetic conversations, help unit members step into their power, and navigate hard situations at work. The stability union membership affords my everyday life cannot be understated, as I sleep better (call that a CBA dividend!), am less stressed out, and can also be more fully present when pursuing leisure activities like reading, traveling, and spending time with loved ones.
It means so much to be part of a progressive nonprofit union like NPEU because of the connections I have made with other workers who are visionaries, activists, organizers and social justice advocates. I’ve met and heard from so many members who are passionate about the world around them and want to make sure their union represents their values and hopes for the international working class. Having invested five years in building my own unit and now playing an active role on the executive board and chair of NAL’s staff union, I have a good sense of the pain points that come up in individual units and at the level of the local. I would love to support NPEU grow into its newer, more expanded state in a way that sees members as central to our health and capacity to fight for better standards for all workers.
What experiences have you had that have prepared you for this position?
Organizing my unit as we faced a tough management team, transitioning to a fully remote workplace during the pandemic, and enduring a long and arduous contract fight have made me a better union strategist with lots of patience and a willingness to deploy a variety of tactics to win. I have no hesitation to talk to anyone and am eager to hear directly from members to get their perspective. I also believe that “failures” are our principal teachers, and paying close and steady attention when things go wrong in our units or in the local will clue us into winning strategies for future labor fights. Most recently, my experience on the Palestine Letter Writers group, a group of NPEU members who volunteered to draft a statement in support of a ceasefire in Palestine in October 2023, provided great insight into how the local approaches political issues that have deep impact on our membership and the necessity of political education for our membership. Being part of the Palestine Letter Writers’ group was an incredible experience because I met twelve NPEU members who were long-time Palestine organizers and internationalists who also were part of their unit’s bargaining committees, stewards, and rank and file members. This experience provided me with a window into what union membership within NPEU could look like. The camaraderie we have developed has infused our units as well as the reform caucus, and we are excited to continue the work of building member-leadership in NPEU and developing more democracy and transparency across the local. Participating in the Palestine Letter Writers group, joining the Israel/Palestine statement process committee on the eboard, and kicking off the work of the reform caucus has meant several additional hours of work a week, but it is generative work that leads to a stronger and fighting union.
Beyond my work in my unit and within NPEU, I have been working for several years with the Friends of the ATC, the anti-imperialist solidarity network that supports the largest farmers’ union in Nicaragua, the Rural Workers Association (ATC). The ATC continues to support peasant struggle in Nicaragua and works toward national food sovereignty. I have helped organize a few Comedy for a Cause shows in Brooklyn, NY, enlisting the help of local comics to help raise money to support the ATC. These comedy shows were really popular and have been a great tool to raise consciousness about the need for food sovereignty and build solidarity with the Nicaraguan people. In a funny coincidence, comedian Rachel Coster of “Boy Room” fame has performed at both shows!
What qualities do you believe make you a strong candidate for this position?
I am a skilled organizer who focuses on building one-on-one relationships with those I work or organize with. I truly feel a responsibility for those I represent, and invest in building long-term relationships (even if this means a member ultimately transitions from our unit or the local). From organizing my own shop and now as a steering committee member of NPEU Members for a Democratic Union, NPEU’s first-ever reform caucus, I deeply understand that we can only move at the speed of trust. If this means the local must move more slowly to make sure that members are both radically informed and radically participate, I welcome this! A lot of ill-advised decisions are made under a sense of urgency and haste, and our labor movement and the representational needs of our members are too important for us to act without care and thorough deliberation. I also value and respect members’ time, which is why I use my project management experience and note-taking skills to have a record of what was discussed, confirm necessary action steps, and coordinate with members to see if they need support. As a fundraising professional, I have a thorough understanding of revenue generation, budgeting, full-cycle event planning, and liaising between different departments. I am also an empathetic listener, which helps put people at ease and get to the heart of what’s bothering them or how I/the union can support.
What goals would you like to focus on or accomplish over the next 2 years if elected?
I would love to empower our members to get more involved in our local, whether through a relaunched organizing committee to organize new units, joining a working group to support inter-unit solidarity, or through provision of workshops on labor history or becoming a better internal union organizer. There is so much that can be done and we have so many members who are hungry to get involved but have not been invited or supported to participate. If the reform slate wins your support in the July general elections, we promise to return to member-to-member organizing, checking in more frequently with individual members and eboard representatives and providing true partnership to navigate tough workplace issues, whether that is forced return to office, layoffs, or difficulty getting management to the bargaining table. I would also inquire about important updates within our international union, IFPTE, and loop in our members about developments within the international. We all benefit when we communicate and share challenges and we should be using individual units’ experiences to guide and shape how NPEU fights better for all of our members. This investment in our members should allow for an increase in engagement with the union and interest in the local’s activities. I’d love to have more attendance at our general membership meetings, shop talks, and town halls. NPEU has laid some good groundwork with our steward and LMC trainings and I hope to support internal organizing trainings and developing other member-leaders, like the proposed Organizing Training in DC.
I feel it is critical to prepare the local for the coming challenges in our sector posed by bad fundraising cycles and political instability. This past year, NPEU had its first strike vote, and it would be a priority of mine to expand and flex the union’s organizing muscle by making a strike a real possibility to extract maximum concessions from employers. To do so, I’d encourage the development of a strike fund, which would provide real teeth to the work of a solidarity committee. It has been incredible to watch NPEU grow exponentially the past few years. To be sustainable, it is incumbent that we recruit more volunteers to support the staff with bargaining, internal and external organizing, and supporting representational needs. Our current organizing model is unsustainable and can leave us in a tight spot if navigating a glut of representational issues. I would like for NPEU to consider working with some of our more established units to bargain for the right to have members get release time to work for our local and grow its capacity. Having members organizing fulltime (even if just for a limited period) will help build members’ buy-in to the day-to-day workings of our local.