For Immediate Release

SCRAP PDX WORKERS UNION EXPANDS TO RICHMOND, VA!

Board of Directors and Leadership Steadfast in Affirming Worker’s Right to Unionize

SCRAP Creative Reuse, a national nonprofit focused on inspiring reuse and sustainable solutions for creative materials, announced today that its six union eligible employees at the Richmond, Virginia location have voted to unionize. When notified of staff’s intention to unionize with ILWU Local 5, the SCRAP Board of Directors quickly moved and with the full support of the organization’s Board of Directors and Leadership, approved that request for voluntary recognition.

By joining together with the workers at the PDX location, who are also unionizing with ILWU Local 5, collectively, SCRAP Creative Reuse workers will continue to be aligned with the goals and mission of the organization to uphold a belief in the transformative power of collaboration and community, and the urgent need to create sustainable systems in our society.

SCRAP Creative Reuse (SCRAP RVA) is a beloved local institution in Richmond, Virginia with roots in the community going back to 2008. Through a series of evolutionary steps, the idea of a creative reuse center came to its current form in 2016 when then “Stuff Redux” applied and was welcomed into the SCRAP USA network, thus becoming the current iteration, at 322 W Brookland Park Blvd. Richmond, VA 23222, SCRAP RVA. Regardless of what form the organization has taken since its 2008 origins, its mission to provide affordable access to creativity for artists, crafters, teachers, parents, and their children in an environmentally sustainable way has been an unwavering commitment.

“We are inspired by the SCRAP PDX workers unionization and are excited to join in this collective effort. We are all so excited to be a part of the ecologically minded crafting community and now, together with our coworkers at SCRAP PDX, we are joining another community - our union at ILWU Local 5. We know the result of our efforts will be increased sustainability in our work at SCRAP and an improved ability to serve the SCRAP community” - SCRAP RVA WORKERS

"The volunteer board of directors for SCRAP Creative Reuse has come together to approve the voluntary recognition of our Richmond team’s decision to unionize," said Tibora Girczyc-Blum, SCRAP Creative Reuse Board Chair. "Our board and leadership team remain committed to fostering a supportive environment that values the contributions of our workers, volunteers, and customers, while upholding SCRAP’s mission to inspire creative reuse and environmental sustainability.

About SCRAP: SCRAP Creative Reuse is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with retail locations in Portland, OR; Ann Arbor, MI; Baltimore, MD; and Richmond, VA. Its mission is to inspire creative reuse and environmentally sustainable behavior by providing educational programs and affordable materials to the community. www.scrapcreativereeuse.org

Ryan Van Winkle, ILWU Local 5 President, states, “The physical distance between SCRAP workers in Portland and SCRAP workers in Richmond is irrelevant. Here is a natural expression of community - workers who choose to work at SCRAP, who believe in the same mission, and work everyday to uphold that mission. In this movement, the miles between workers are only a number. SOLIDARITY knows no borders. Welcome to ILWU Local 5 SCRAP RVA!” - Ryan Van Winkle, ILWU Local 5 President

About ILWU Local 5: ILWU Local 5 proudly represents a broad membership engaged in the mission of reuse and environmental sustainability - including the workers of Community Cycling Center, Free Geek, Spin, Powell’s and SCRAP Creative Reuse PDX AND RVA! Building a sustainable future - both environmentally as well as in the context of the workplace, is at the forefront of our mission and we look forward to working together to achieve those goals, now and into the future! www.ilwulocal5.com