IRC Seattle workers win voluntary recognition

Seattle-based workers at the International Rescue Committee are part of a nationwide unionization effort

SEATTLE, WA (August 7, 2025) — Nearly 100 workers at the Seattle office of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) have joined The Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 8 as IRC Workers United (IRCWU), part of a wave of union victories at regional IRC offices in the United States. The workers — caseworkers, youth educators, employment specialists, and legal professionals — were voluntarily recognized on July 1, and the card check process concluded July 28.

The Seattle-based workers join 13 other unionized IRC offices spanning the U.S. from San Jose and Oakland, to Baltimore and New York City; the Dallas office was the first to unionize, winning recognition through an NLRB election. The IRC provides resettlement, asylum, and integration services for refugees and asylum-seekers in communities across the U.S. and Europe. The current political climate in the U.S., in particular hostility towards immigrants and refugees, has motivated the organizing drive, with the workers seeking a union to ensure direct service workers’ voices are at the forefront of organizational policy decisions.

In Seattle, some of these direct service workers are former IRC program participants themselves, coming to the U.S. from Afghanistan and Ukraine. They have vital, first-hand knowledge of IRC programming: what works, and what could be improved. But IRCWU reports that organizational decisions are made by headquarters management based in New York City who are often far removed from the day-to-day work of the organization. The resulting burnout for direct service workers is common at non-profits; but Seattle IRC workers recognize that just because it’s common, doesn’t mean it’s inevitable.

“We pour our hearts into this work and it is demoralizing when our treatment continuously results in organizational and personal burnout,” says Meaghin Woolie, an IRC Career Development Specialist. “Through organizing, we have learned that we all share similar experiences – even though we’ve been siloed – indicating systemic issues…Unionizing is our solution to create an IRC that we know can exist to treat everyone with the respect, safety, and support that we all deserve.”

Now, the workers and their union are preparing to join national bargaining with IRC, aiming to negotiate a national contract, with letters of understanding or stipulations specific to each region as needed. Ultimately, OPEIU is aiming to organize all of the IRC offices in the U.S., securing a voice for hundreds of direct service workers nationwide. 

Learn more about IRC Workers United at ircworkersunite.org and OPEIU Local 8 at opeiu8.org. OPEIU Local 8 also represents staff at the Washington State Labor Council, including the Entire Staff of The STAND.