Unionize Yoga
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Unionization of Teachers at YogaWorks[edit]
Unionize Yoga is an initiative of yoga and mindful fitness educators at YogaWorks in New York, established in 2019. Yoga and movement teachers organized collectively with a mission of raising yoga industry standards and creating an equitable, sustainable profession, ultimately forming the first union for yoga and movement teachers[1] and setting a precedent for additional yoga teacher unionizations worldwide.[2]
On September 9, 2019, Machinists Union officials and the teachers at the four New York studios asked YogaWorks to recognize the New York teachers' union, known as 'Unionize Yoga' — the first union in the United States to include yoga instructors.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
The teachers' union received support from U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders,[9] Chuck Schumer,[10] and Elizabeth Warren[11] and Liz Shuler, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer.[12] On November 18, 2019, the results of the union election were announced — YogaWorks New York teachers voted 'yes' by majority to unionize.[13][14][15]
After years of financial struggles, exacerbated by the CoVid-19 pandemic, YogaWorks closed its New York studios permanently on April 19, 2020, giving employees a week's notice before layoff and effectively dissolving the union.[16][17][18][19][20]
In April 2020, organizers gave a talk at the Organizing 2.0 conference titled How Yoga Teachers Used Social Media to Organize, Reach Allies, and Win Their Union which outlined their digital strategy and organizing techniques.[21]
Organizing in Baltimore[edit]
In September 2019, YogaWorks teachers in Baltimore reached out to the YogaWorks New York organizers to learn about organizing strategies in hopes of starting their own unionization campaign. Baltimore teachers at YogaWorks began organizing in November 2019. The Baltimore campaign was set to go public on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2020, YogaWorks closed its studio on Light Street in Federal Hill.[22] All YogaWorks studios in the Baltimore region closed their doors in September 2020.[23][24]
Current Initiatives[edit]
Since the closure and bankruptcy of YogaWorks, Unionize Yoga has expanded into an open teachers' collective that functions as a clearinghouse of information for teachers interested in organizing, moving beyond the yoga and fitness studio system, and forming coops.
The organizing body of Unionize Yoga is comprised of yoga teachers or union organizers working on a volunteer basis. The group makes decisions through consensus, rotates meeting facilitation roles, and distributes labor so the group is horizontally-run.
In 2020, Unionize Yoga launched Our Stories,[25] a micro essay series that explores how yoga teachers and students cope during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as live online conversations[26] on unionizing, building cooperatives, equity and diversity in the yoga industry, and maintaining yoga community during physically-distanced times.
Unionize Yoga focuses on resourcing yoga communities though education on unionizing[27] and building cooperative workplaces.[28] Unionize Yoga is committed to building economic, racial, and gender justice in the wellness profession.
References[edit]
- ↑ Unionize Yoga (September 9, 2019). "Unionize Yoga - mission statement". Instagram. Retrieved January 9, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Busby, Mattha (February 9, 2021). "Yoga Teachers Are Rising Up Against Bad Employers". Vice World New. Retrieved February 17, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Moynihan, Colin (September 11, 2019). "The Yoga Instructors vs. the Private Equity Firm". The New York Times. Retrieved January 9, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Jones, Sarah (September 12, 2019). "Yoga Teachers Are Unionizing to Heal the Wellness Industry". The Cut. Retrieved January 9, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Pfeiffer, Sacha (October 12, 2019). "Yoga Instructors Are Unionizing". NPR. Retrieved January 9, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Krauze, Lauren (Oct 10, 2019). "Unionizing Yoga". Tricycle. Retrieved January 9, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Dittmore, Sarah (September 20, 2019). "Why Are Yoga Teachers Unionizing?". Shut Up & Yoga. Retrieved January 9, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "New York Yoga Instructors Seeking IAM Representation". INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS AND AEROSPACE WORKERS. September 17, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Sanders, Bernard. "U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders". Facebook. Retrieved January 9, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Unionize Yoga (September 11, 2019). "Thank you Chuck Schumer for your support!". Instagram. Retrieved January 9, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Unionize Yoga (September 16, 2019). "Elizabeth Warren supports Unionize Yoga!". Instagram. Retrieved January 9, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Shuler, Liz (September 16, 2019). "ALL workers—game developers, bus drivers, yoga teachers and more—can benefit from joining a union". Twitter. Retrieved January 25, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Unionize Yoga (November 18, 2019). "YogaWorks New York teachers voted YES by an overwhelming majority to come together as a union!". Instagram. Retrieved January 9, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Machinists union organizes yoga workers". Labor Tribune. December 17, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "New York City YogaWorks Teachers Join the IAM". INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS AND AEROSPACE WORKERS. November 19, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Baker, Emma (April 15, 2020). "Yoga Means Union: Yoga Teachers Form a Historic Alliance Amidst Covid-19". Bedford & Bowery. Retrieved January 9, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Rice, Andrea (April 17, 2020). "After Years of Financial Struggles, YogaWorks to Permanently Close in New York". Yoga Journal. Retrieved January 9, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Rice, Andrea (June 1, 2020). "The Future of Yoga: The Change We Need". Yoga Journal. Retrieved January 9, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Rice, Andrea (June 1, 2020). "As COVID-19 Reveals the Cracks in the Yoga Industry, Could a Universal Teachers' Union Help Reshape Our Community?". Yoga Journal. Retrieved January 9, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Williams, Brett (December 9, 2020). "Fitness Trainers Are Organizing to Flex More Muscle in Their Workplaces". Men's Health. Retrieved January 25, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Organizing 2.0 (April 18, 2020). "How Yoga Teachers Use Social Media to Organize, Reach Allies, and Win Their Union". YouTube. Retrieved January 9, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Lynch, Kevin (June 29, 2020). "YogaWorks Closes in Federal Hill". SouthBmore.com. Retrieved January 24, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Rice, Andrea (October 15, 2020). "YogaWorks Files for Bankruptcy, as Yoga Industry "Brought to Its Knees" by COVID-19". Yoga Journal. Retrieved January 24, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Cole, Andrew (October 14, 2020). "YogaWorks Takes Voluntary Action to Position Company for Future Success". Business Wire. Retrieved January 24, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Our Stories". Instagram. December 23, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Community Building". Instagram. December 18, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Conversation on Organizing". Instagram. November 6, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "How to Start a Cooperative". Instagram. January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
External Links[edit]
- Unionize Yoga Instagram page
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