The tide is turning in Applied Behavior Analysis. On May 1st, workers at Verbal Beginnings won their union, marking one of the first private-sector ABA union victories in years. Just over a month later, on June 12th, clinicians at Compass Behavioral Group followed suit with a resounding vote to unionize. These back-to-back wins, led by both Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) and Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), are more than just milestones. They’re proof that unionization in ABA is not only possible but necessary for a more ethical, sustainable, and compassionate future in our field. Both groups of workers affiliated with the Teamsters, a mighty union of over 1.4 million workers internationally.
For too long, ABA workers have struggled in isolation, burned out by low wages, high caseloads, unsafe conditions, and top-down decision-making. These victories shatter the myth that organizing in this field is a dead end. RBTs and BCBAs ...
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