Resolution to Support Breach Employees in Creating a Unionized Worker Self-Directed Nonprofit

We, the Board of Directors (Board) of Breach Collective (Breach) hereby resolve that, based on the intentions of Breach’s co-founders, in view of the talent and skills of Breach’s staff, based on Breach’s emerging set of robust policies and procedures for worker governance, and based on emerging principles and practices for non-profit management, it​ ​is​ ​in​ ​the​ ​best interest​ ​of​ Breach ​and​ ​most​ ​effectively​ ​and​ ​efficiently​ ​advances​ Breach’s mission​ ​if​ Breach undergoes a process of staff collectivization, whereby ​employees​ ​primarily​ ​direct​ ​the​ ​strategy,​ ​policies,​ ​and​ ​tactics​ ​of​ ​the organization ​with the objective of flattening or removing hierarchy and decentralizing and increasing autonomy in decision-making among staff. 

The Board understands that the process of collectivization inherently involves the Board delegating some of our authority to the employees, and the Board thereby affirms that Breach staff may make day-to-day decisions and set longer-term policies and strategy for the organization until​ December 7, 2021​, at which time the Board shall review and may re-affirm or revoke this resolution, in view of the best interests of the organization.

We further pledge to support the choice of employees to unionize, should they choose to do so, and to affiliate with and/or enter into an exclusive bargaining representative relationship with a union of their choosing. Our intent is for Breach to serve as a model for other environmental justice and conservation non-profits that seek to bring justice into the workplace and the broader movement.

We anticipate that this process will take several months to complete, and resolve to support employees in the creation of a unionized and worker self-directed workplace that reflects the values of the co-founders of Breach Collective and the broader labor and environmental justice movements.

Furthermore, we resolve that all decisions about staff compensation, benefits, and hiring shall be made by the Board, with staff input. Such decisions shall ultimately be discussed and voted on by the Board without staff present. The Board shall also review and approve any other decision that could result in financial benefit or other form of private gain for employees.

We believe that these commitments are consistent with our fiduciary responsibilities as board members and the overriding need for worker and climate justice that motivate each of us. Nonetheless, the role of the Board shall always be to fulfill its legal duties by, among other things, supervising ​the​ ​activities​ ​of​ ​the​ ​organization​, regularly reviewing financials and budgets, ensuring compliance with the law, reviewing internal policies adopted by staff, and intervening in decisions it believes to be harmful, overly risky, illegal, threatening to the organization’s tax exempt status, or contrary to the mission of the organization.

We further resolve that these commitments are binding to the greatest extent allowed under law. 

Duly Passed by the Board of Directors of Breach Collective, 12/10/2020.