400+ workers at Fortune Society unionize with OPEIU Local 153
NEW YORK, N.Y. (August 12, 2026) - With an overwhelming majority of support, more than 400 workers at the Fortune Society — a nonprofit organization which provides support to formerly incarcerated individuals — have formed a union with OPEIU Local 153. On August 11, a card check was conducted by a third-party arbitrator who confirmed a supermajority of Fortune staff signed union cards. The Fortune Society is one of the largest organizations in New York City serving currently and formerly incarcerated New Yorkers to build a better future for themselves and the first to unionize.
“This is a historic moment that we believe will not only positively impact all members of our Fortune community, but also the broader community of people who are committed to this work and believe in the mission of building people instead of prisons,” said Caleb Knight, a creative arts senior associate at the nonprofit.“Fortune Workers United believes that Fortune’s mission is more than a slogan: it is a call to action, and that action must begin with us, by building an agency that genuinely cares about and supports every member of its community.”
“Today, with the certification of our card count, we have taken a massive step toward making that mission a reality,” Knight continued. “It is the workers that make Fortune the place it is, and the workers who are standing up, using their voices, and demanding a seat at the table in navigating important issues that affect all of us.”
The Fortune Workers Union represents a wall-to-wall unit of social workers, case managers, teachers, specialists in employment services, substance use counselors, creative arts coordinators, resident assistants, people who provide direct services to those on Rikers Island and much more. They provide wrap-around care to any individual who has been impacted by the criminal legal system.. Workers at Fortune Society provide services to more than 18,000 people every year and their capacity is continuously growing as their budget has ballooned to more than $100 million within the past year.
“As someone who came into this organization as a participant and now serves as an employee, I know firsthand how transformative support can be,” said Emmanuel Vasquez Haro, a resident assistant. “The same effort, care, and commitment we pour into our participants should be reflected in how our employer invests in us. By forming our union, we’re ensuring that every worker has a real voice, real protection, and the collective strength to shape the future of our workplace.”
The win comes after workers at the nonprofit spent more than a year organizing among themselves. Workers reached out to OPEIU Local 153 last summer and the campaign escalated from there, starting at Fortune's Long Island City Headquarters and soon reaching Fortune's eleven other locations that reach every New York City borough.
Workers are enthusiastic to form a union and demand better working conditions, wages, and benefits through the collective bargaining process. Many of the workers at Fortune are intimately aware of the importance of due process and want those same rights in their work environment, wanting to ensure that there is just cause and other job protections in place that offer respect, dignity, and align with Fortune’s mission of building people and not prisons.
“Today represents more than a union victory, it represents the power of having a voice and using that voice to strengthen the community we serve,” said Malik Hardy, a group facilitator within the nonprofit’s RISE program and discharge planner. Hardy continues “Many of us came to The Fortune Society because we believe deeply in its mission, its people, and the possibility of transformation. Our decision to unionize comes from that same belief. We want to help build an organization where the people doing this work are heard, supported, protected, and equipped to provide the highest level of service to the people who depend on us.”
“This is not about standing against Fortune,” Hardy continued, “it is about standing together for a stronger Fortune. Our union gives us another avenue to address the areas where we can improve, strengthen what already works, and ensure that the values of dignity, fairness, opportunity, and second chances that we advocate for every day are also reflected within our workplace.”
“Today we celebrate this victory. Tomorrow, the real work begins, working together to move The Fortune Society forward, strengthen our workforce, and ultimately better serve our participants, our communities, and our mission. When workers have a meaningful voice, the organization becomes stronger—and the people we serve benefit from that strength,” Hardy concluded.