The Brooklyn Friends School announced on August 21 that it filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to decertify the school’s union. Referring to a new June ruling that broadened a religious exemption to NLRB jurisdiction, the school relied on Friends’ practice as a basis for the filing.
The wider NYQM was unaware of the filing until after the letter announcing it was released to the BFS community.
Many Friends have raised objections to using the practice of Friends in defense of this measure. New York City’s Friends schools are separately incorporated private schools. Historically Friends are supportive of worker protections and many Friends organizations are unionized. The NYQM is in ongoing communication with the relevant committees to discern a way forward.
We are holding the staff and faculty and the administration is the Light as they work towards a fair resolution for everyone.
In Friendship,
Nancy Britton, clerk
Some Friends may be unaware that three former clerks of the BFS Board of Trustees (formerly known as the School Committee) have made a proposal to resolve the current conflict at Brooklyn Friends School over the establishment of the BFS Colleagues Union. The three former clerks are Nancy Black, Alice Pope, and Benjamin Warnke. Here is a link to their proposal:
Proposal to resolve the current conflict at Brooklyn Friends School
An Update from three former BFS clerks 9-16-20
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Friends and visitors are welcome to worship remotely with the Meetings of of the New York Quarter at 11 am on First Day, at Brooklyn Meeting, 15th Street Meeting, and Morningside Meeting. Manhattan Monthly Meeting will meet remotely at 9:30 am. Please see the links above under “Meetings for Worship” for more information about Brooklyn, 15th Street, and Morningside Meeting programs during this period and for worship information for the other Meetings of the New York City Quarter.
If you need to create Zoom committee meeting please be in touch with your Meeting’s clerk or communications committee. (For meetings of the Quarter: communications@nycquakers.org.)
Friends may wish to participate in Healing Prayer by telephone on Wednesday afternoons from 5 to 6 pm (for more information: brooklynprayerhealing@gmail.com).
Messages to all:
The Epistle to New York City Quakers in the time of Covid-19, from the Ministry and Counsel Committee and the Quarterly Meeting Clerk.
A message from the Racial Justice Study Group on our recent events can be found here
All that dwell in the light, their habitation is in God, and they know a hiding place in the day of storm; and those who dwell in the light, are built upon the rock, and cannot be moved
~ Edward Burrough, 1634-1663