The Fountain House Workers Union was thrilled to learn that our colleagues at Venture House had begun forming a union. As we’ve said time and time again, the union will make the clubhouse a better place to work, which will make the clubhouse a better place for our members. We enthusiastically support our colleagues organizing efforts and demands for better working conditions, job security, and, most importantly, a voice on the job. The frontline staff are the lifeblood of the clubhouse and should be treated that way by management. This is true at Fountain House, Venture House, and every other clubhouse.

We are extremely disappointed to hear that Venture House management has begun retaliating against our colleagues for organizing. We are particularly disturbed by management’s recent spate of write up’s for “insubordination.” The clubhouse is a community, a place for consensus, collective care and mutual aid – not a dictatorial military unit. We hope the practices of the Venture House – and all clubhouses when their workers decide to pursue collective bargaining – will align with the philosophy of the clubhouse: a place that is pro-community, pro-collectivity, pro-democracy.

We implore Venture House to stop interfering with the staff’s decision to organize, and we will continue to support our colleagues in their effort.