ABA WORKERS NEED A UNION
Are you interested in organizing a union at your workplace? Get in contact with an organizer today.
Why a Union?
ABA workers can barely survive. Our families depend on us. Day after day, we work long hours. We work where we're needed - in homes, clinics, hospitals, grocery stores, schools, and parking lots. We face real danger where we work. We face unpredictable schedules, lost hours, and illness. We face aggression, emotional trauma, and exhaustion every single day.
We've been told, "That's just how the industry works." We're offered low base pay in exchange for the opportunity to do something meaningful and maybe a fancy title. "Clinician." "Therapist." "Technician." For many, this is how they enter the field of psychology - and due to how grueling it is, that's where their journey might end. This field relies on burnout and churn to maximize profits at the expense of people who genuinely and sincerely care.
Most RBTs are not aware of how much money their service generates. Companies bill Medicaid upwards of $60 - $200 an hour for services rendered by a technician, with that rate going closer to $200 if a supervisor is present. Those same companies will claim they can't pay RBTs a living wage. Next thing you know, they're opening another clinic. Where do you think the money comes from purchasing that new, shiny space? From your pockets. They rob us to feed the machine of growth, maximizing profit for upper management while they continue to crush those of us who do the work that makes those profits.
Not Just for Us - For Our Families, Too
Most folks outside of the industry don't know what it's like to be a BCBA or an RBT. Our schedules are volatile, and our bosses often pressure workers to maximize the number of clients they serve each day at all costs. The more clients, the more money we generate, the better for business - even if it leaves us too exhausted or burnt out to provide even a semblance of quality care.
We need time to breathe. We need to show up to work without worrying about rent. We need to be sure that if we work every scheduled hour, we won't lose our benefits due to some arbitrary "billable hours requirement" that pulls benefits away should we not generate sufficient wealth for our bosses. We need to be able to say enough if enough if our caseload changes so often that we can't build a relationship with the families we serve. It's one thing if a family requests a new clinician - it's entirely another thing if the boss uses a spreadsheet to reassign staff every week to maximize profits at the expense of any possibility of rapport or connection. It is unreasonable for a new ABA professional to show up in a teacher's classroom, or a family's home, or to have a young child work with a completely new adult, all because it happens to optimize billing.
We Can Do Better
Organizing a union is easier than you think, and if anyone can do it, the professionals dedicated to change can make it happen. We are organizing nationwide to push back against the consolidation of ABA clinics into chains, to resist unrealistic billable hours requirements, and to demand working conditions that work for us.
We're silly for a living, but we're serious about work.
If you're serious about meeting with an organizer, complete the form at the top of this form, and we'll reach out via the email address union@aba.rocks to put you in contact with us.