The Ford Foundation, Fundación Avina, Humanity United, and Open Society Foundations have announced their participation in the new federal Multilateral Partnership for Organizing, Worker Empowerment, and Rights (M-POWER) initiative.

The public-private initiative, for which the U.S. government has committed approximately $130 million, aims to align governments, philanthropy, worker organizations, and civil society to strengthen freedom of association and collective bargaining across the globe and prioritize workers’ rights as core to democracy. To that end, M-POWER aims to strengthen free and independent trade unions, support labor law reform and enforcement, promote worker organizing and the innovative use of collective bargaining to improve livelihoods, and extend labor law coverage to protect workers in vulnerable, low-wage employment and those sectors excluded from labor law protection, particularly in the informal economy.

Philanthropic funders participating in M-POWER are members of Funders Organized for Rights in the Global Economy (FORGE), a collaborative of donors pooling expertise and resources to strengthen community- and worker-led movements that catalyze change for people and the planet. This year, the funding partners in FORGE have collectively invested more than $90 million in building the power of workers.

“The strength of any democracy depends on listening to, uplifting, and investing in the voices of workers and labor rights defenders who are calling for improved wages and working conditions and equitable economic growth for all. Across the globe, workers are facing debilitating levels of economic insecurity and inequality,” said Ford Foundation vice president of U.S. programs Sarita Gupta. “At Ford we have long believed that strengthening freedom of association and collective bargaining are key to eradicating gender-based violence and harassment and building more inclusive, just societies. We’re proud to join the M-POWER initiative, a critical new vehicle for global action on worker rights and empowerment, and to leverage unprecedented government investments to advance economic justice, social inclusion, and more vibrant and resilient democracies at scale.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Trigger Photo)