'U is for Union!': Sesame Workshop Workers Win NLRB Election

On May 15, workers with the Sesame Street Workshop in New York voted overwhelmingly to unionize. Organizing with the Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 153, workers endured aggressive anti-union actions on the part of management in order to secure Thursday's win.

"We can officially say that today, May 15th, is brought to you by the letter U!" the union said in a statement. "Our win is representative of everything Sesame Street stands for and has taught us for generations; the power and importance of community, fairness, kindness, care, and knowing the people in your neighborhood--or as we like to say, the people in our union."

Throughout the campaign, workers have been inundated with what they call an anti-union campaign on the part of management. After publicly announcing the campaign, six organizers who spoke publicly in support of the campaign were laid off along with dozens of their colleagues in early March. Sesame Workshop management refused to voluntarily recognize the union and requested a NLRB election. After much delay, the election got underway.

"Sesame Workshop has educated generations of children through the beloved Sesame Street television show and global social impact initiatives," the union said in a statement ahead of the vote. "Workers at Sesame Workshop have organized a union in order to strengthen workplace collaboration, equity, and transparency in support of the organization’s mission to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder."

At yesterday's count, dozens of workers joined a Zoom call to hear the votes read out by NLRB officials. As the final tally was verified, workers who kept their cameras on could barely hide their smiles. The final tally was 55 Yes votes, 19 No votes, and 23 challenged ballots. Celebrations broke out among the new union members as the call came to a close.

"Sesame Street has taught us to be kind to one another, to advocate for what is fair, to ensure that everyone has a seat at the table and that everyone belongs."

Autumn Sancho, a digital production coordinator and Sesame Workshop Union organizer, couldn't contain her excitement during a post-vote call. "Our victory is such a testament to what Sesame Street stands for," she said. "We've worked so hard on this campaign and the relationships that we've forged have been so strong."

"Sesame Street has taught us to be kind to one another, to advocate for what is fair, to ensure that everyone has a seat at the table and that everyone belongs," Sancho continued. "In this moment, right now, I feel so hopeful. I know that it's been a really rough few months, right? It's been a rough year. It's only May, but I think that this is such a testament to always continuing to show up for each other, to coming together and joining hands....I think that it's so important in these trying times to join together and move forward and advocate for each other, because that's how we get to where we are."

Workers are expected Sesame Workshop management to challenge the election in the coming days, but remain confident in the outcome of the election, and for now are giving themselves permission to celebrate.

"I think this is just beginning a new chapter of something that we've really needed for a long time," Sancho said. "So I'm really happy to have our union."