April 26, 2022

Dear IFES Executive Leadership Team,

As IFES staff, we believe deeply in our mission: building democracies that deliver for all. It is in the spirit
of this mission that we proudly write to inform you that a supermajority of eligible staff have made the
decision to form the IFES Staff Union with the Office and Professional Employees International Union
(OPEIU) Local 2.

We have made the choice to devote our time and energy to this process as a statement of personal
investment in and deeply felt care for IFES and our partners around the world. Through hundreds of hours
of intentional conversations, compromise, and collaboration with our colleagues over the past year, we’ve
built a strong coalition to help make our workplace better for all. We look forward to working with
management in pursuit of our common goal: to make IFES the best organization and workplace it can be,
where all voices have a meaningful say in the policies that govern our work lives. We believe that authentic
input and dynamic growth can only occur when every voice is equally represented.

While current management has made some efforts to listen to staff concerns, our union will guarantee
staff a seat at the table regardless of who is serving in IFES leadership at any given time. Beyond
consultation and the opportunity to share ideas and feedback, we want to participate in the decisions that
affect our working lives by negotiating the terms and conditions of our employment and the policies that
govern our day-to-day work. Our union will champion the voices of all staff to ensure a working
environment that prioritizes equity, accountability, and transparency of decision-making at IFES as we
work to build democracies that deliver for all, globally and within IFES.

One of IFES’ values is: “We believe in the power of the people.” As a supermajority of IFES staff exercise
our voices today, we are asking IFES management to live our stated values and voluntarily recognize our
union. We remain steadfast in our commitment to work in partnership with management, and we are
ready to demonstrate our support for our union through a card check conducted by a mutually agreed
upon third party. We would like to begin our relationship through actions of mutual respect like voluntary
recognition and thoughtful dialogue. We have also filed a petition (attached) for an election with the
National Labor Relations Board in the event that management does not grant voluntary recognition. The
filing will be withdrawn if IFES management agrees to voluntarily recognize the union.

This movement started from a place of respect for our organization, our colleagues, and our work. During
this process, we ask that both parties conduct themselves with integrity, in the same way we encourage
our global partners to conduct their elections: free of disinformation and voter intimidation; in a timely
manner without unnecessary delay tactics; and in a way that respects the will of the voters. This is an
opportunity for IFES to model in our own workplace what we ask our partners to do while working for
free and fair elections globally.
We request that you respond to this letter by 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 28 to indicate intent to
voluntarily recognize the IFES Staff Union. To do so, please contact ifesunion@gmail.com and CC our
organizer, Kelly Russo, at krusso@opeiu-local2.org. We hope that management is also committed to the
mission of building a workplace that operates on mutual respect and accountability, and we look forward
to hearing from you.

Already, the formation of the IFES Staff Union has been a labor of love. As staff with tenures stretching
from months to years, we are united in our desire to work with you toward creating a stronger, more
equitable, and even more effective organization. We look forward to partnering with you in this effort
and to building an organization that works to ensure inclusive, credible, and fair democratic processes
around the world – including within IFES.

Sincerely,

The IFES Staff Union