ENLIVEN PLANTERS WORKERS FORM UNION WITH UNITED SCENIC ARTISTS, LOCAL USA 829
Enliven Planters workers across Philadelphia announced that they are forming a union with United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, IATSE. The workers delivered a letter to Enliven co-founders Paul Kawoczka and Dan Nichols on August 28, asking the company to voluntarily recognize their union, allowing them to begin negotiating their first collective bargaining agreement.
Enliven workers design and create custom seasonal planters and container gardens that transform homes, businesses, and neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia. Each arrangement is a living composition that brings together color, texture, form, and an understanding of the natural world. Enliven’s gardeners draw on artistic vision, horticultural expertise, and skilled hands, creating works of art that bring beauty and joy into the spaces people experience every day.
“Organizing is a beautiful thing. It played a huge part in building the middle class in this country—which now seems to be disappearing,” said an Enliven gardener involved in the organizing drive. “There are so many wonderful and seriously hard-working people who work at Enliven. We have taken the step of unionizing with Local USA 829 because we want the best for each other, and we want the job we love to be more sustainable for us.”
“Enliven’s workers are talented designers, artists and craftspeople whose creativity and expertise bring beauty into people’s everyday lives,” said Natalie Robin, Organizer of Local USA 829. “Their decision to organize is a joyful expression of solidarity and of the care they have for one another, their craft, and Enliven’s future. We are proud that they have chosen USA 829 and look forward to negotiating our first contract with Enliven.”
The Enliven organizing drive continues USA 829’s commitment to organizing and protecting designers and skilled craftspeople wherever creative work takes place. The workers hope Enliven will promptly recognize their union so they can move forward together in a spirit of cooperation and shared commitment to the company’s continued success.
Press Inquiries:
Ahad Shahid
Communications Director — United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, IATSE
ahads@usa829.org